


if I can't have you, no one can

by cherryraindrops



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: M/M, Minor Character Death, Scream AU, Stalking, there will be minor malum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-24 22:00:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4936912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherryraindrops/pseuds/cherryraindrops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke Hemmings has a stalker, someone with an insane obsession over him that leaves him doing a double take on every single person he knows. His boyfriend, Ashton, insists that there is nothing to worry about, until suddenly he becomes the prime suspect.</p><p>It was scary enough that someone was stalking Luke, but it’s even more terrifying that the stalker could be anyone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Threat

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to my Halloween fic! This comes with inspiration from my favorite horror movie, Scream, so I'm incredibly excited for you to read this. It's not my first time writing in the horror genre, but it is my first time writing it for the 5sos fandom. This fic will be chaptered, and I have written future chapters already. I'm going to post maybe once or twice a week, depending on my schedule. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this!!

Luke couldn’t believe that this was his last month of high school. These next few weeks were going to be his last walking the halls of Norwest, the last time he’ll be shoving his books into a locker and the last time he’ll have to listen to a teacher lecture him about skateboarding in the hallways. After this month, he’ll no longer have any of that, and the though left him both nostalgic and overjoyed.

It’s not that high school was a terrible experience for him, not at all. He’s a 4.0 student, likely to be voted valedictorian of his class, has plenty of friends, and he was lucky enough to be dating whom he considered the hottest boy on campus. Luke had a damn good run in high school, but there was that part of him that longed to be away from it, longed to get out of the small suburb in Sydney that he resided and escape to somewhere else.

That’s why he applied to the University of Melbourne, somewhere where no one knew who Luke Hemmings was, somewhere that he could become a different person and broaden his horizons. It was an exciting feeling, the mere thought of starting a new chapter in his life.

The best part of it all? He’d have his boyfriend with him the whole journey.

Speaking of, he feels the scruff of his boyfriend’s unshaven chin against his neck, and his arms are wrapping themselves around Luke’s waist. Luke had been standing in front of his locker, observing the various pictures of his friends and boyfriend that he’d stuck in there, and he jumps slightly when Ashton sneaks up behind him and wraps himself up in Luke. “Hey baby,” Ashton coos in his ear, pecking his cheek. “Sorry I couldn’t pick you up this morning, Lauren and Harry needed a ride to school since Mom had to pick up an early shift at the hospital.”

Luke always loved how close Ashton was to his siblings, becoming quite the father figure towards them. Their father never had been around, forcing Ashton to grow up at a young age in order to care for his two younger siblings. Luke admired how Ashton filled the role of big brother so well, always putting his siblings before anyone else. It was one of the things that made Luke fall in love with him in the first place, was how caring and selfless his boyfriend was.

He couldn’t be happier to move in with Ashton after they graduate, start a life with him. It was almost a dream come true.

Luke turns in his boyfriend’s arms, kissing the other boy’s lips sweetly before grinning against his lips. “No big deal, Jack gave me a ride before he had to head to work.” He kisses Ashton’s lips quickly before turning back to his locker and shutting it, adjusting the strap on his backpack before intertwining one of his hands with his boyfriend’s. “How is your mom liking her new job anyway?”

Ashton sighs. “The pay is good, that’s for sure, but she always comes home exhausted and doesn’t really have much time for anything else. Lauren is the most disappointed out of all of us for that because, well, she doesn’t really have another woman around? She has friends, yeah, but she wants her mom there to talk to about other things. I can’t exactly explain much of what she needs to know.”

That’s something Ashton always does that makes Luke sad: he blames himself for disappointing his siblings. He knows Ashton wants to be super brother, but he also knows that his boyfriend shouldn’t be pushing himself to be something like that. So he kisses Ashton’s temple, squeezing his hand tightly before saying, “You’re doing your best Ashton, she knows that. You can’t be Superman.”

Ashton grins, brushing their shoulders before saying, “I can be your man though.” There’s a cheeky grin that follows and Luke can’t help but kiss Ashton’s temple again and giggle against Ashton’s hair. “Are we still going to have our movie night with Cal and Mikey tonight? They keep bugging me about asking you if you managed to get _Scream._ ”

If Luke’s being honest, he completely forgot about their movie night tonight. It’s not that he doesn’t want to do it, it’s just that with it being his last month of high school he has so much he has to get done for certain classes and so little time to do them. So when he turns to Ashton and is about to explain that, it doesn’t surprise him when he sees his boyfriend giving him his signature pout.

“Babe, we haven’t had a movie night in a long time! Michael is starting to think you hate them from how many times you’ve cancelled,” He stops Luke from entering his classroom, leaving them both standing in front of the door. Luke can feel a lecture coming on, and he’s a little irritated knowing that Ashton isn’t going to let him leave unless Luke says yes. His boyfriend can be quite demanding when he wants to be. “One night, okay? For one night stop stressing over school and spend some time with your friends and the person who loves you and misses spending time with you.” He sticks out his bottom lip to emphasize his point, and Luke hates how weak he is for his boyfriend’s adorable pout.

“Fine,” he decides, kissing Ashton’s pout away. He loves the dazzling grin that appears on Ashton’s face at his decision, and gives his boyfriend’s hand one last squeeze before they part. “I love you.” He tells him, opening the door to his classroom.

Ashton beams even brighter than before. “I love you too.” And then he’s hurrying down the hall as the bell rings, a quiet ‘Fuck!’ mumbled underneath his breath. It makes Luke chuckle as he slides into the classroom and takes his seat beside Michael, whose currently picking at a loose string on his shirt. The thread is wrapped tightly around his finger, nearly turning it purple when Luke nudges his shoulder, making him yank the string and pull it off his shirt.

“Hey!” he says, startled. “I was working towards that you know.”

Luke rolls his eyes at his best friend, patting his back. “After you cut off circulation to your finger? Sure Mikey.” He turns his attention towards his teacher, who’s begun to start off the day’s lesson. English has never been Luke’s best subject, and while he does have his 4.0 GPA to boast otherwise, it still doesn’t stop him from making sure he doesn’t slip up. At this rate, he cannot afford to slip up.

“Ash says you agreed to movie night tonight,” Michael whispers, and Luke hums before writing down a few notes off the board. “And because you’ve been a little shit about skipping out on our movie nights, you are in charge of bringing movies and snacks.”

Fair enough, Luke thinks as he writes down more notes. He knows Ashton was right about earlier, about needing to take a break from school and enjoy his friends company, but could he blamed for wanting to go out on top in school? He’s worked hard for this, and he’s scared to let it go. He loves his friends, but they understand how important this is to Luke.

Right?

The door to the classroom bursts open then, and everyone turns towards the sudden commotion. Luke can’t hold back his chuckle at the fact that the distraction of the lesson is from none other than his other best friend, looking quite apologetic as he walks sheepishly towards his desk beside Luke, ignoring Michael’s, “Where the fuck were you?” as he takes his seat.

“Nice of you to join us Mr. Hood,” their teacher quips, earning a few more chuckles from the students. “What excuse do you have for me this time regarding your tardiness?”

Calum doesn’t bother looking up from his hands, twiddling his thumbs as he manages to conjure up an excuse. “Had to deliver something to someone before I got here, got here as fast as I could.” He mumbles out a ‘sorry’ under his breath but Luke doesn’t think their teacher even heard it. Doesn’t matter anyhow, because she’s now rolling her eyes and turning back towards the lesson on the board.

“So what were you _really_ doing?” Michael asks, eyebrow raised as he leans forward in his seat to hear Calum’s answer. The boy has the tendency to be quite silent, never really speaking up unless it’s around his friends. He’s shy, always has been.

“Exactly that,” He responds, opening his notebook and searching for a pen in his bag. “Fuck, I forgot my pen in my locker.”

Michael rolls his eyes, searching through his own school bag and pulling out a spare, tapping Calum’s shoulder with it. “What would you ever do without me Calum Hood?” he jokes, but Luke doesn’t miss the way the blush rises to Calum’s cheeks. It’s adorable, really.

From what Luke has seen of his two best friends, they’ve always been crushing on each other. They’ve been friends since they were little, pushing each other on the tire swing outside of Michael’s house and teasing each other about girls giving them cooties. It wasn’t until middle school that Luke noticed Calum’s eyes lingered on his best friend for far too long for it to be friendly, and Michael would always blush furiously whenever Calum complimented him in the slightest. It was ridiculous that they’ve gone this long without admitting anything, and Luke swears if they don’t get their shit together before graduation, he’s going to take over.

The bell eventually releases them from class, the three of them gathering up their books before heading towards their lockers. Michael’s going on and on about their movie night that night, Calum chiming in every now and then of what movies Luke needs to bring while also making sure Michael doesn’t end up smacking someone with his hands while he tells a story about what happened in gym yesterday. Luke’s not really paying attention much, far more focused on the person waiting for him at his locker.

“Luke are you even _listening,”_ Michael whines, before he locks eyes with the boy leaning against Luke’s locker. “Oh god, you two disgust me.” He’s quick to grab Calum’s arm and roll his eyes. “C’mon Cal, let’s head to class before they start attacking each other.” Calum pretends to hurl before following Michael down the hall, making Ashton laugh as he gets up from where he was leaning against Luke’s locker and kisses his boyfriend.

“Mikey’s just jealous because he’s too chicken shit to tell Calum how he feels,” Ashton retorts, leaning against the locker beside Luke’s, waiting for his boyfriend to open it. “He too could be kissing and loving someone if he’d just man up and say something.”

Luke laughs, finishing the combination on his locker before clicking it open. The minute the door has swung open a small piece of paper flutters to Luke’s feet, making him pause and lean down to pick it up. It’s not his notebook paper, and it appears to have been torn quite haphazardly from a notebook. He turns towards Ashton, holding the note up. “Did you write me some cute, cheesy note or something?”

Ashton raises an eyebrow, a light chuckle spilling from his lips. “No? Maybe its notes you forgot about.”

Luke shrugs, opening the folded paper and reading what’s been written.

It’s not his hand writing, that’s for sure. In fact, Luke doesn’t recognize the handwriting at all. It’s messy, still eligible, but it appears whomever wrote it didn’t bother paying attention to how clean their words were. Not that it mattered, because no matter how it was written the words would still strike fear into Luke’s heart.

_I’m watching you Luke, always watching_

Luke turns, looking around him before turning to his boyfriend, swallowing. “Ashton, please tell me you wrote this.” he begs, looking at him with wide eyes. Ashton’s cheerful smile drops from his face as he takes the note from Luke, reading it to himself before his lips are held together in a tight line. Luke doesn’t like the look on his face, it’s the look of someone who definitely had nothing to with it.

“I don’t even recognize the writing,” Ashton comments, handing the note back to Luke. “Maybe Calum or Michael is fucking with you?” He sounds hopeful, and hell Luke hopes it was just his two best friends playing a stupid joke.

He stuffs the note into one of his notebooks, closing his locker and taking Ashton’s hand as they head towards their next class. The words are ringing in his head as they head towards the music room, and Luke wishes he could shake them but he can’t.

What if this note wasn’t written by Michael or Calum? He might be overreacting, but what if there was someone in the school watching Luke’s every move? What if this wasn’t some stupid joke his friends were pulling on him?

While he normally goes to music with excitement, today he’s heading towards the room with fear resting in the pit of his stomach and the words from the note playing over and over in his head. Maybe it was just some stupid prank someone was trying to pull on him, someone hoping to get a laugh out of scaring Luke. What if it wasn’t though?

Luke wasn’t one to make enemies. He’s never considered himself to be the one to make enemies anyway, always insisting on being nice to every single person he meets. It didn’t matter if someone was his friend or someone he barely knew, he would always treat them with the outmost respect. The fact that someone out there could quite possibly be stalking him? It made him wonder just who he could have possibly attracted that decide Luke would be fun to mess with.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he pushes open the door to the music room and takes a seat in the back with his boyfriend, watching the other students chat idly amongst each other. He’s not going to let this note get to him, he’s not going to let it loom over him. It’s just some stupid prank after all.

*

They decide to have movie night at Michael’s house, Calum not really wanting to have to clean up after them and Luke not really feeling up for hosting a movie night at his place. Ashton had volunteered his house, but after realizing that having a movie night at his house had to include his siblings, Michael had elected they do it at his place in his newly established man-cave, something he’d spent a good amount of time on the summer before.

“Alright Lucas,” Michael claps his hands together, falling onto the couch beside Calum and putting an arm around him. “Since you are a massive flake and have skipped the past few movie nights, I left you in charge of snacks and movies. Would you care to show us what exactly you have provided for us this evening?” Calum chuckles at his words and nuzzles his head into Michael’s neck while Luke just laughs and opens up the bag he brought, pulling out various bags of sugary candy and some things of popcorn.

“I figured Halloween candy would suffice,” Luke begins, tossing Michael a bag of candy corn before tossing one of the popcorn packets at Calum. “As for movies, you kept bugging the hell out of me about watching _Scream,_ since for some reason none of us have actually seen this movie. Along with that I brought a few more movies that Ashton insisted I watch since I apparently suck at watching movies.” He turns to glare at his boyfriend, who just smiles at him with a goofy grin and pecks his lips.

“You do suck at movie watching babe,” Ashton insists, taking the _Scream_ DVD from Luke and popping it into Michael’s Xbox. “You say you never have time to watch movies, and then you always miss out on Michael and Calum’s endless movie references. It’s no fun when you don’t get the reference you know.” He walks back over to the couch and allows Luke to fall into his arms, wrapping them tightly around his boyfriend before kissing the top of his head. “Now, this is my favorite Halloween movie of all time and I swear to God if you don’t love this movie as much as I do by the time it’s finished I might just force you to watch it over and over again until you do.”

Luke smiles at that, kissing Ashton’s jaw before turning his attention towards the screen, where Drew Barrymore has just answered the ringing phone. Luke’s not sure what to expect from this movie, probably just another slasher flick where various teenagers die from making stupid mistakes. If Ashton loves this movie so much though, he’s willing to watch it if it brings a smile to his boyfriend’s face.

They are about halfway through the movie when Michael starts talking, making Ashton pause the movie and turn towards him. “Mikey, you do realize how loud you are when you speak right?”

“Sorry,” Michael apologizes, though it doesn’t sound genuine. “I was just talking to Cal about the note Luke got today, how weird it is? I mean, don’t get me wrong Ash, your boyfriend is incredibly good looking and it wouldn’t surprise me if he had an admirer, but that note?” He shifts his position on the couch, leaning forward. “It didn’t sound like something any admirer would stuff into a locker.”

Luke stiffens in Ashton’s arms, just the thought of the note making him scared. It’s stupid, that a pathetic piece of paper with words on it could strike so much fear into his heart. The person who sent it was probably bluffing, probably someone messing with him. He didn’t like thinking it was something further from that. Wasn’t it easier to just be naïve?

“Well if someone is messing with Luke, we can handle them,” Calum speaks up, chewing on some of the candy Luke brought. “No one messes with our Lukey and expects to get away with it, right?”

The other two nod in agreement, Ashton kissing Luke’s head to assure his safety. Luke would have to admit, he already felt safer in Ashton’s arms, surrounded by his friends. It was almost like a protective barrier, blocking off any impending threats.

Shoving thoughts of the note aside, he snuggles further into Ashton’s arms before watching the rest of the movie.

*

It’s a little past midnight when Ashton’s car pulls up slowly to the front of Luke’s house, the lights all off with the exception of the porch light. Ashton kills the engine the minute the car has been put into park before turning to Luke, looking at him with worried eyes. “Babe, you can just stay the night at my house tonight if it makes you feel safe.”

Luke hates how easily Ashton can read him. He’s spent the entire night putting on a ruse that the note wasn’t bothering him that some stupid words were not stressing him out. He guesses he didn’t put on a good front, but then again Luke has never been an exceptional actor. Also, it’s nearly impossible for him to lie to his boyfriend.

“How about you stay here with me?” Luke asks hopefully, despite knowing that Ashton probably needs to head home and take care of his siblings. “I want to sleep in my own bed, but it would be nice to have you there with me. Is that alright?”

Ashton takes some time to think about it before he takes Luke’s hand in his. “If it makes you feel safe, I’d do anything for you.” He leans forward, pressing a kiss to Luke’s lips before opening up the driver’s side door. “Let’s go to bed, okay? I promise tonight you’ll be safe in my arms.”

Luke grins at that, grabbing his boyfriend’s hand and dragging him towards the house and his bedroom. They stay quiet as the tip toe past Luke’s parent’s bedroom before sliding into Luke’s room quietly, locking the door behind them. Luke is quick to strip down to just his underwear, as is Ashton, before both of them slide underneath the covers and wrap themselves up in each other.

“Do you think Michael is right?” Luke whispers into Ashton’s neck, hand resting flat against his boyfriend’s bare chest. “That this isn’t just some ordinary admirer?”

“I think Michael has just watched too many horror movies,” Ashton responds, arms tightening around Luke. “Go to sleep, okay? I’ll be here all night I promise.”

“I love you,” Luke whispers into Ashton’s neck, kissing the skin there.

Ashton hums, kissing Luke’s forehead before snuggling into him further. “I love you too. Goodnight love.”

As the two of them fell asleep, wrapped up in each other’s arms, Luke’s phone vibrated on the floor, signaling a new text message. While the two boys were completely oblivious to the incoming message, it still flashed across the screen and illuminated the entire room.

**From: Unknown Number**

_Don’t get too comfortable there Lukey, this is only the beginning_

 


	2. Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kind words and wonderful reception to chapter one! I'm currently writing chapter six at the moment, but I figured with how much progress I am making you all deserved to have another chapter. I hope you enjoy this, and don't forget to leave a comment and kudos!!

Until today, Luke had never once seen the inside of a Police Precinct before.

He’s sitting in an awfully uncomfortable chair, shifting from side to side in an effort to get comfortable. There’s a detective sitting in front of him at his desk, typing some information into his computer regarding Luke’s case, though he seems exhausted an incredibly uninterested in what Luke has been telling him. Maybe he needs some coffee, who knows, but Luke suddenly feels as if the police don’t really care about the text message he found on his phone that morning.

The police had already taken his phone, hoping to trace the text to the sender. Luke felt lost without it, nothing to distract him while the detective typed away on his computer. Instead he’d resulted into picking at the stupid chair that kept hurting his ass no matter which way he sat in it. He had wished Ashton was sitting here with him, but of course the detective said that Luke had to do this alone.

“Now, Lucas,” the detective says, pushing away from his computer and getting up from his chair, motioning Luke to follow him. “We are going to take you to a room, talk for a little bit more regarding your case. It will just be me and you, just the two of us speaking about what you are going through just so I can get a clear insight to your personal life and see who could possibly be sending you these notes.” Luke follows him down a long hallway, stopping once they reach a locked room and the detective quickly pushes the key into the slot, opening the door and welcoming Luke in to take a seat. “Now, I want you to tell me what exactly your day was yesterday. Did you do anything out of character, anything that threw off your schedule?”

“Not really?” Luke tells him, picking at his nails nervously. “I woke up, took a shower, got dressed, and ate breakfast? My brother gave me a ride to school-“

“Does your brother normally give you a ride to school?” The detective asks, leaning forward in his chair.

Luke shakes his head. “No, usually my boyfriend gives me a ride, but recently his mother has been picking up more shifts at the hospital she works so he had to give his siblings a ride instead.” He smiles at the memory of yesterday morning, before the note came into play. “After that I arrived at school, met my boyfriend by my locker and then went to class.”

The detective hums a little, writing something down on a notepad before placing his pen down. “Is there anyone else you were with besides your boyfriend? Any other friends who could vouch for you where you were and if there was anything off about your surroundings?”

Luke furrows his brow a little, confused at the detective’s suspicious behavior, but nods anyway. “Yeah, I have a few friends I was with that could speak to you.” He didn’t like where the detective was headed, but what else could he do? There was someone out there possibly stalking him, maybe planning something worse. There really wasn’t much he _could_ do.

While the detective began to call his friends, Luke was led to another room. It seemed normal enough, a room with darkened lights at some more officers hanging around. What really threw him off was the large window looking into an interrogation room, one that Luke swears he was just in not even a few minutes prior.

“Were you listening to us speak in there?” he asks the detective standing next to him.

She nods. “Just listening to your story, trying to see if there’s anything we can do. That’s why you are in here right now. We are going to speak with your friends about this, see if they have a story that seems off, either to us or to you.” She holds out her hand, her face friendly and a smile that shows she cares. “Detective Frangipane, I’ll be working on this case with Detective Cauchi in there. I promise you Luke, we are going to do our best to make sure you are safe.”

Luke wraps his arms around himself, Ashton’s jacket engulfing his figure. It smells like him, and Luke had to admit it was quite comforting to at least have some part of his boyfriend with him. It made this whole thing less nerve wracking, not to mention bring a smile to his face despite the fear in his heart.

The first person Detective Cauchi speaks with is Michael, who looks deeply concerned, not to mention exhausted. Luke didn’t blame him, it was quite early in the morning for his friend, especially on a weekend. Michael tended to sleep until noon on weekends, longer if he can. Normally Luke has to wake him up with a phone call or by bursting into his room with Calum, who bounces on his bed until he wakes up. He just hopes the Detective realizes that a sleepy Michael was like poking an angry bear.

“Now Michael,” Cauchi begins, hands folded in front of him. “Where were you yesterday morning before school?”

Michael runs a hand through his newly dyed blond hair, looking absolutely exhausted and disoriented. Luke feels bad for him. “Filling my car up before I got to school. I had forgotten to fill it up the night before so I managed to wake up earlier than usual so I could fill it up.”

Cauchi writes down some notes in his notepad, shaking his head slightly. “Did you have anyone with you, someone who could back up this claim?”

Michael scoffs, folding his arms across his chest. “You can talk to my friend Ashton, he rode with me. His car wouldn’t start so I helped give him and his little brother and sister rides to school. Hell, talk to his little siblings about it, little kids are honest about anything.”

Now that was something Luke didn’t know. He’d known Ashton had to take his little siblings to school that morning, but he didn’t know that Michael had given him a ride. It was a little thing, just a minor detail, but Luke kind of wishes he had known that before he told the detective that it was just Ashton who had given his siblings a ride.

Michael’s released, and Luke isn’t surprised that the next person to be brought in is his neighbor, Kellin. They’d been friends since they were younger, had grown up right next door to each other. He was the typical choice in this case: the neighbor who could see Luke twenty four seven. Luke had to refrain from rolling his eyes at how stereotypical the whole thing was.

“Did you notice any suspicious activity surrounding the Hemmings household last night?” Detective Cauchi questions, never looking up from his notepad. He’s furiously scribbling down notes, while Kellin opens his mouth to speak.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” he responds, hands folded in his lap. “Then again, I was asleep by the time ten o’clock rolled around.”

Cauchi nods, writing it down. “Is there anyone you would know that could have something against Luke, something that would make them become crazy over him?”

Luke stiffens at the Detective’s words. It was crazy to think that this was his reality, that there was possibly someone out there that could be obsessed with him over something Luke wasn’t aware of. Was it possible that someone was obsessed with him, and that this wasn’t just some ludicrous prank?

Kellin shrugs, looking awfully uncomfortable sitting in that chair. Luke doesn’t really blame him. “Luke is a popular kid, lots of people like him. I doubt anyone would try anything as long as his boyfriend was around though, Ashton has a way of intimidating people.”

This makes Cauchi raise an eyebrow, as well as peak Luke’s interest. Frangipane must notice the development as well, uncrossing her arms and clearing her throat. “Well, that’s twice that this boyfriend has been brought up. Seems to me that we need to be discussing things with him.” She steps towards the door, allowing light to flood the room before she’s disappeared, probably off to get Ashton. He’s been sitting in the waiting room since that morning, when he drove Luke here after the text message.

Wrapping Ashton’s jacket around him tighter, it almost feels like Ashton was in here comforting him through this crazy mess.

Luke turns towards one of the other officers, and shyly asks, “May I go use the restroom?”

The officer looks at him suspiciously, but nods anyways. Luke is quick to thank him before exiting the room and heading towards the restrooms he passed on their way towards the room, pushing open the door and locking himself inside one of the stalls.

It’s there that he breaks down, allowing the tears to fall freely. Yesterday morning he was so sure that this month wasn’t going to be an issue that he was going to finish high school and finally escape to Melbourne with Ashton, live happily ever after. It’s what he’s envisioned since he was accepted in the University of Melbourne, when Ashton got his acceptance letter the same day. Now all of that was slowly crumbling away and Luke didn’t know what to do anymore.

“Hemmings?” Someone calls into the bathroom, making Luke wipe furiously at his tears. “Luke, Officer Butler said you were in here, are you alright?”

Luke sniffles, wiping the rest of his tears before opening the bathroom stall and coming face to face with Detective Frangipane, who looks worried for him. “Sorry, I just needed a break? I haven’t really had a moment alone since this all started so I figured-“

He least expects Detective Frangipane to gather him into a hug, holding him tightly and running her hands gently through his hair in a soothing gesture. “It’s alright, this is terrifying Luke. You have every right to be emotional about this.” She pulls away, but she keeps a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I promise you can go home soon, we just need to question your boyfriend and then you can be on your way.”

Luke nods, wiping at his eyes one last time before following Frangipane back towards the interrogation room. Ashton is now sitting in the chair, looking worried. His leg is moving up and down as he awaits Cauchi’s arrival, hands running up and down his jittery legs. Luke knows this as a nervous habit of Ashton’s, one he’s seen on display time after time. He hates seeing Ashton so nervous, because Luke knows for a damn fact that his boyfriend is innocent.

Cauchi enters the room shortly, apologizing to Ashton for the wait before taking a seat across from him. Luke’s taken his finger to his mouth, chewing on his nail as he watches Cauchi organize his notes. He doesn’t know what Ashton is going to say, doesn’t know what they are going to ask him. All he knows is that he just wants to get Ashton out of there, show him that he’s okay and that they are okay.

Luke doesn’t know if they are though, and he hates that.

“From what I’ve heard Ashton, you seem like quite the guy,” Cauchi starts, tapping his pen against the steel table in front of him. “Popular boyfriend, Prom King Material. Every person I’ve spoken to seems to talk about you highly, about your siblings and family man act.”

“Is that we are in here to talk about?” Ashton snaps, legs stopping their movement. “To talk about what others have said about me? I want to see Luke, I need to make sure he’s alright. He’s probably terrified right now, you know if he stresses himself out enough he can have an anxiety attack? I just need to make sure he’s alright and that he’s taking deep breaths-“

“He’s fine Irwin,” Cauchi assures him, and Ashton seems to relax a little. “I think for right now what is best for him is finding whomever is stalking him, don’t you think? That’s all I need Ashton, is for your cooperation in finding whomever is doing this, and then you can see him.”

Luke can see the tension rolling off of Ashton that moment, watches his boyfriend inhale deeply. “Alright, ask me anything.”

Cauchi has a grin on his face, one that kind of terrifies Luke. It’s an evil kind of grin, one that shows that Ashton was going to regret his words. “How long have you and Luke been together?”

“Two years,” Ashton tells him, a soft smile on his face. “Best two years of my life Detective.”

Luke blushes at his words, a fond smile making its way to his face despite his nerves. Maybe this interrogation wasn’t going to be too awful.

Cauchi chuckles, writing something down on his notepad. “Like I’ve said before, we’ve heard some pretty good things about you Irwin. All around nice guy it seems,” he sets his pen down, leaning forward in his seat. “So why is it that you intimidate people? As far as I’m concerned you seem like a non-threatening guy.”

Ashton’s face blanks, his mouth gaping. “Um, I can’t say I’m sure Detective. I wasn’t aware that I was intimidating to anyone.” Luke knows that was the wrong thing to say, especially with the way Cauchi is looking at Ashton now. Hunter looking at a prey: ready to devour.

“Seems like you scare people Ashton, especially in regards to your boyfriend,” Luke doesn’t like where this is going. “Do you have a bit of a jealousy issue when it comes to your boyfriend there Irwin? Do you not want anyone else to be around him?”

Ashton splutters, obviously offended. “Of course not! I don’t care whom Luke interacts with, that is his business not mine! Are you accusing me of controlling my boyfriend’s life?”

Cauchi shrugs. “If the shoe fits.”

“Well I can assure you that I don’t,” Ashton spits. “I would never control him, he can make his own decisions. Luke is his own person, not my puppet.”

Cauchi nods, leaning back in his chair. “Alright then, we’ve established that you do not hold your boyfriend on a leash, let’s move on,” He takes a long drink from his coffee mug before setting the cup down and re-organizing his notes once more. “Where were you when Luke got the first note?”

“I was with him, right when he got it,” Ashton responds rather harshly, still a little peeved from the earlier question. “Same as when he received the text message, I was right there with him. Like I said, when he gets stressed out he needs someone there just in case he has an attack. I’m always there for him, always.”

Luke watches as Cauchi begins to gather his things, nodding slightly to assure he heard Ashton’s words. “Well, it seems like someone wants you out of the way so they can be with Luke that much. Either that, or you seem to be a jealous boyfriend trying to drive away anyone that comes near him so he just wants you.” He steps towards the door, hand on the knob before he finishes. “Whichever one it is Irwin, you can guarantee if you do anything to hurt that boy you’ll be back here in handcuffs in an instant.”

Luke can hear Frangipane letting out a frustrated breath, rubbing her temples. “Why does he always have to play tough guy?” she groans, turning to Luke and patting his shoulder. “You can go home now bud, would you feel safe with a police escort or are you alright?”

“I’ll be okay.” Luke assures her, following her out of the room and towards the front entrance. She bids him farewell, a promise that she was only a phone call away if he received any new leads. Luke appreciates her help, likes her better than Cauchi already.

Ashton comes through the doors shortly, and the moment they lock eyes Ashton already has Luke wrapped up in his arms in a crushing hug. “I hope they didn’t stress you out to much,” Ashton mumbles into Luke’s neck, pressing a kiss there. He pulls away gently and his hands fly up to Luke’s face, thumbs tracing underneath his eyes. “You’ve been crying, are you alright?”

Luke nods, letting Ashton pull him back in. “I’m just exhausted and scared Ash. Someone is out there, possibly obsessed with me and following my every move. I just want to go home and take a nap.”

Ashton nods, taking Luke’s hand and leading him towards his car parked outside. The minute they are in the car and taking off, Ashton has turned on the radio and has taken Luke’s hand in the middle, thumb rubbing his knuckles soothingly. “I promise Luke, as long as you are with me you are safe, okay?”

Luke nods, but if he’s being honest, he doesn’t feel safe at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come find me on tumblr at ghostlyashtons, and don't forget to comment, give kudos, subscribe, all that jazz ;)


	3. Strike

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bit of violence in this chapter!! Just a warning for you all :)
> 
> Also thank you super duper much to Lia, who is acting as my beta for this fic. I love her so so much and I appreciate her help on this!!

Ashton’s breath was hot against his neck, his mouth biting and sucking at Luke’s jugular and making the boy’s back arch up off of the bed in pleasure. His boyfriend’s hands were already underneath his shirt, touching every inch of Luke’s torso while Luke’s hands were resting against Ashton’s back and digging into the skin there.

“Ash,” Luke moans into the quiet of his room, his fingers playing with the hem of his boyfriend’s shirt. “Have I ever mentioned how much I love your mouth?”

Ashton chuckles against his neck, licking the fresh mark he’s left before pulling away and yanking his shirt off, tossing it somewhere else in the room. His hands return to their position underneath Luke’s shirt, pausing against Luke’s sides. “May I?” he asks, fingers playing with Luke’s shirt. From the boy’s nod he lifts himself up, allowing Ashton to remove the shirt and toss it in the same direction of his own.

This is the farthest they’ve ever gotten, shirtless make out sessions. Sure, Luke isn’t afraid to admit that he’s blown Ashton a time or two, but overall the boy just isn’t ready for sex just yet. He’s young; they had all the time in the world to get to sex, but there’s part of him that wonders if Ashton thought the same thing.

It isn’t like Ashton has ever forced him to do something he wasn’t comfortable with. Ashton is considerate, sweet, and treats Luke like a prince. That doesn’t stop Luke from thinking about what is going through Ashton’s mind every time Luke denies going further though, wondering if Ashton is getting tired of being told ‘no’ every time they got this far.

“Ash,” Luke says again, but this time his hands are against Ashton’s bare chest and slightly pushing him away. He can see the look of annoyance in his boyfriend’s eyes and suddenly feels ashamed. “I’m sorry, I know you’re getting sick of this, I’m just—“

“Not ready,” Ashton finishes, though it doesn’t sound condescending like Luke had expected. Ashton’s voice is soft, considerate. “Luke, if you ever feel like I’m pushing you towards something you don’t want, please tell me. I don’t want you to feel like I just want sex from you. I love you, and I want you to feel comfortable when we are making out, not that I’m asking you for something.” He kisses Luke’s nose gently, making the boy grin. “How about we grab our shirts and I call for a pizza? Maybe I can invite Mikey and Cal over and we can play some video games?”

Luke laughs, nodding his head as he gets up off of his bed and picks his shirt up off of the ground. “Since this is my house, I get to choose what games we play _and_ what we get on the pizza.”

Ashton groans, pulling his shirt up over his head. “Babe, you know how much the rest of us hate Hawaiian pizza and I know that’s what you’re going to order.” He wraps his arms around Luke from behind, kissing the hickey he left on Luke’s neck. “How about a nice, simple, pepperoni pizza?”

With a loud, over reactive sigh, Luke turns in Ashton’s arms and kisses his nose. “Fine,” he says, wriggling out of Ashton’s grasp. “I’ll call it in, you call Mikey and Cal, alright?” He kisses Ashton’s lips one last time before heading downstairs to grab his cellphone, Ashton following him down as he dials Michael’s number.

“I’m going to go out to my car, see if I left one of my games out there,” Ashton tells him, but before Luke can respond Ashton’s already headed outside with his phone to his ear, a loud, “Hey Mikey!” before the front door has shut behind him.

He shouldn’t feel scared, he shouldn’t. This is his home, a place of safety. Besides, it’s been nearly a week since anything has happened with his stalker: no notes, no texts, nothing. His mind has been on high alert the entire week though, and the only reason his parents left him at home for the weekend was because it had been a week since any suspicious activity. Still, he wished his parents would have waited to go to Adelaide until they found whomever was stalking him.

He shouldn’t be scared. After all, Ashton is here to protect him if anything went wrong. Hell, Michael and Calum are apparently on their way as well to play video games. Luke is as safe as he could possibly be. So why is his heart racing at the thought of being alone in the house for a few minutes?

Shaking the feeling of terror away, Luke heads towards the kitchen to grab his cell phone. He walks towards the electrical outlet, where he’d been letting the phone charge, but before he can pick the phone up and dial the number of the pizza place his phone is ringing, making him drop it onto the linoleum floor and curse loudly.

Is it his stalker calling? What if they had waited a week just throw off suspicion?

Hands shaking, Luke crouches down towards the floor, picking his vibrating phone up and looking at the caller ID. He lets out a sigh of relief when he sees it’s just Ashton, sliding his thumb across the screen to answer and holding the phone up to his ear. “Why are you calling me when you’re just outside silly?” he asks, sounding a bit out of breath from the scare he had before.

“Why do you sound out of breath?” Ashton teases, a small giggle following. “Anyways, I have to head over to Michael’s house and pick him and Calum up. Apparently Michael doesn’t feel like driving and you know how lazy Calum is.”

Normally Luke would laugh at the crack, but now his heart is filled with dread. “Y-yeah, um, are you already on your way?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to call and let you know that I was,” Ashton tells him and Luke’s heart begins to speed up. “Baby, I promise I’ll be back in under five minutes, okay? I promise I wouldn’t have left you there if I didn’t think you wouldn’t be safe.”

That’s the thing though: Luke doesn’t feel safe in the slightest. He feels on edge, terrified. He’s been feeling this way since the first note, and it hurts him to think that Ashton thought he would be alright on his own after something like that.

After hanging up on his boyfriend, Luke all but full on sprints to the front door, locking it. The patio door was already locked to begin with, but that doesn’t stop Luke from heading towards it anyway and double checking to make sure. He looks through the glass doors into the backyard, where the patio light illuminate the deck and the garden his mother spent countless hours on. Nothing seems out of the ordinary.

Taking a deep breath, Luke heads back towards the kitchen to grab his cellphone and finally order the pizza. The minute his fingers graze the phone though the doorbell rang, making Luke nearly jump out of his skin.

“Breathe,” Luke tells himself, reaching for one of the kitchen knives as he slowly approaches the door. It’s ridiculous, because it’s probably just Ashton wanting back in, but Luke isn’t going to be taking any chances. He approaches the door slowly, knife at his side as he peeks through the peephole to see who it is.

No one is there.

Swallowing down his fear, Luke reaches for the lock and quickly unlocks the door, opening it up to peek out onto the porch. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, mostly just the noise of crickets and someone’s sprinkler going off. No sign of anyone ringing the doorbell at all, that’s the weird part.

After locking the door once more, Luke begins to head back to the kitchen to call Ashton, tell him to rush back because he doesn’t feel safe, not at all. He grabs his phone and begins to dial Ashton’s number, only for another number to come up on the screen. This time the number is unknown, and Luke nearly drops his phone in terror.

He knows what _unknown_ means, and he’s not sure what could come from answering the call.

Closing his eyes, he shakily slides the answer button and lifts the phone up to his ear. “Hello?”

“How come you didn’t answer the door for me, Lukey?” a menacing voice says, and Luke’s breath catches in his throat.

“What the fuck do you want from me?” Luke demands, though his voice is shaky and uncertain.

“Oh Lukey, I’m so angry that you told on me to the police, you know. Nobody likes a tattletale, just count yourself lucky that you’re cute.” the voice whispers.

Luke looks behind him at the backyard, trying to see if someone is back there, but comes up with nothing once more. He’s gripping the knife in his hands tightly, tears beginning to form in his eyes from fear. “Leave me alone!” he chokes out.

The voice laughs at him, and Luke fights the urge to scream. “Now Lukey, I can’t do that. Why can’t you see that I love you, Lukey? I just want you to notice me, is that so bad? Look out the window and notice me, Lukey.”

Luke’s blood runs cold, fear striking his heart as he slowly turns towards the window. There’s a figure standing there, covered in head to toe in black and wearing a ghost mask, similar to the one Luke remembers from the movie he watched with the boys a week ago. There’s a phone against the figure’s ear, as he chuckles darkly and says:

“If I can’t have you, no one can.”

Without another thought Luke tosses the phone away from him, darting up the stairs to the safety of his bedroom. He hears glass shatter behind him, footsteps trailing behind him and he screams, pushing open his bedroom door and slamming it behind him as he slumps against it. He can feel the person banging on it, attempting to make their way in and Luke reaches for the lock, sliding it into place and moving away from the door.

He thought someone was just stalking him, someone playing a prank to scare him. He never expected someone to come after him like this. Now he just wishes he had something better than a kitchen knife to protect him.

He looks out his window, looking out at the backyard and decides if he’s going to escape and get help, he’s going to have to go through the window. Looking back towards the banging door, he quickly slides his window open and steps gently onto the rooftop, keeping the knife in his hands just in case. He’s halfway through the window when suddenly someone is grabbing his arm and pulling him back.

“Let go of me!” Luke screams, tugging on his arm in an attempt to get whomever this person was to let go. Their grip only tightens, and Luke whimpers at how tight their grip is on his arm.

He finally releases a loud scream when he feels something cut his arm, turning to see his stalker with a knife in their hands. He tugs on his arm harder, writhing around while trying to keep his footing on the roof. Whomever this is isn’t going to let Luke get away, and quite possibly kill him if they get the chance. Luke isn’t going to let them have that chance.

Gripping the knife in his other hand, Luke quickly drives it into the person’s arm. They scream, letting go of Luke’s arm finally and causing Luke to topple backwards off of the roof.

Luke expects to hit the concrete, expects a hard fall that could have killed him. Instead he lands on top of the awning cover his back patio and rolls towards his mother’s garden, landing on his mother’s lilies with an ‘oof!’ He’s grateful the awning catches his fall, but doesn’t have much time to reflect on that as he darts towards the side of the house, somewhere his stalker won’t be able to see him.

He nearly jumps out of his skin when someone touches his shoulders, and he’s swinging his arm to smack them when he hears Ashton call out, “Luke!”

He lets out a scream, pushing Ashton’s hands off of him and stares at him with wide eyes. Ashton looks completely panicked, worry in his eyes as he slowly steps forward. Luke doesn’t care though, stepping back with every step Ashton takes forward. “Stay away from me.” Luke chokes out, wrapping his arms around himself.

Ashton raises an eyebrow at that, looking absolutely heartbroken. “Luke, what happened baby? Are you alright?”

“You said you were going to pick Michael and Calum up!” Luke chokes on his words, the tears forming in his eyes and spilling out onto his cheeks. “Right after you leave, my stalker decides to show up and nearly kill me! Ashton, where the hell are Michael and Calum?”

“Michael’s mother was keeping them longer for dinner, said she wanted them to eat before they came over so I was coming back to get you!” Ashton reaches out for him, hoping to calm him down but Luke rejects the offer, wrapping his arms around himself.

“I love you,” Luke says, ignoring the burning in his eyes from crying. “I love you so, so much, but I-I don’t think I can trust anyone anymore.” He collapses down into the grass, the sound of police sirens approaching entering his ears. Who could have tipped them off is beyond him. He wipes furiously at his teary eyes, wondering how his life had went from perfect to falling apart in just one week.

It breaks his heart when he turns to his boyfriend, and with tears in his eyes whispers, “I can’t trust _you_ anymore.”

The sound of police sirens is louder now, until Luke can see the red and blue lights illuminating his house. Detective Frangipane is the first one to approach them, gun in her hand as she instructs Ashton to get on his knees and put his hands behind his back. Luke can’t erase the heartbroken look in Ashton’s eyes as Frangipane handcuffs him and forces him up, reciting his rights in a loud and booming voice.

“Wait!” Luke calls out, approaching them just before Ashton is forced into the cruiser. “I, I managed to stab whomever was trying to kill me. Let me see if Ashton has that wound, alright?”

Frangipane looks a little unconvinced, but allows Luke to observe Ashton’s arm anyways. There is no wound there, no blood, and Luke feels his heart flip at the sight. _Ashton is innocent._

“We’re still taking him in, kid,” Cauchi tells him, hands on his hips as other officers begin to look over the house. “Who knows who he could have working for him? We can’t take any chances. Is there anyone you can stay with for the night, any friends who wouldn’t mind letting you sleep over?”

Luke nods, allowing them to shove Ashton into the backseat of the cruiser. Luke watches as Ashton looks back at him, unshed tears sparkling in his eyes and Luke feels a pang of guilt in his stomach. “I’m sorry,” he tells him, though he’s not sure if Ashton hears him before the door slams shut and the cruiser is driving off.

A car pulls up shortly after, Michael and Calum barreling out and gathering Luke into a hug. “Are you alright? We saw the police!” Calum mumbles into his shoulder, holding him tighter.

“I’m okay,” Luke tells them, hugging them close to him before looking at Michael. “Mind if I stay at your house for the night? The police want me to stay with someone for a while, until they figure out who this psycho is.”

“Wait, your stalker tried to hurt you?” Michael asks incredulously, looking at the house. “Fuck, this is just like a horror movie. When did you become Sidney Prescott Luke?”

Luke shrugs, adjusting the sleeves of his shirt before heading towards Michael’s car with his two friends. “Hey,” he says, looking at his two friends. “Did I happen to leave my copy of _Scream_ at your place?” From Michael’s nod, Luke smiles. “Good, we need to figure out what exactly I’m up against. We’ve got a movie to re-watch.”


	4. Killer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the amazing response to this fic, and I really hope you guys don't hate me too much for what occurs in this chapter!! (Hint: Minor Character Death comes into play here)
> 
> I don't have much to say, other than that I've been having an incredibly awful day and figured posting this chapter would make it better. Love you guys :)

When Luke arrives back at school Monday morning, all eyes are on him.

He had suspected as much, with all of the news reports from the weekend surrounding what had occurred Friday night. His face had been plastered all over the news, with the news reporters giving everyone a warning about locking their doors and staying safe. Luke only got to see a few of the reports given until Michael’s mother insisted they shut them off.

He’d stayed at Michael’s house the entire weekend, re-watching _Scream_ with him and Calum over and over again. From what he could gather, Michael’s comment had been correct: Luke really was Sidney Prescott, just without the mother being dead scenario. Still, it was almost uncanny how close the comparisons were, from the killer’s costume to the accusing of the boyfriend.

Speaking of, Luke hadn’t spoken to Ashton all weekend. He hated how things had gone between them and wanted to make it better, but he couldn’t bring himself to text his longtime boyfriend at all. There was still that lingering possibility that Ashton was this killer stalker, and Luke couldn’t bring himself to take any chances. As much as he wanted to believe that Ashton would never hurt him, he had to keep an open mind.

He feels someone tug on his arm, his heart leaping in his chest as he turns, only to collide with Michael. “Dude, you alright?” Michael asks him, his tone soft and calm. “You had spaced out there for a minute, I was worried.”

Since that night, Michael and Calum had decided to become Luke’s own personal security. While Luke told them that it was ridiculous, mostly because he didn’t want his friends getting hurt, Michael had insisted on it. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you, Luke.” Michael had said, and Luke was grateful for his friend being so protective.

There’s a loud crash somewhere down the hallway, and Luke lets out a scream as someone wearing the ghost mask comes tearing down the hallway, cackling as they zoomed towards Luke and shoved him into one of the lockers.

What Luke least expects is for the masked person to be slammed into the locker beside him, Ashton hovering over him with a look of complete anger taking over his usually kind features. His boyfriends rips the mask off of the guy, revealing Brendon, whom Luke recognizes from his music class.

“Do you think this is fucking funny, Urie?” Ashton spits, fists clenched around the material of the costume Brendon wore. “I did not get interrogated by the police for an entire weekend and accused of trying to kill my own boyfriend and here you are running around like it’s some _fucking joke.”_

Brendon looks completely apologetic, struggling under Ashton’s grip. “Fuck, it was just a joke man! I didn’t mean-“

“Stay the hell away from Luke, got it?” Ashton threatens, releasing his grip from Brendon. The boy scrambles to gain his footing as he attempts to dart off down the hallway, only to be stopped by Principal Feldman, who grips Brendon’s hood and holds him back.

“What on Earth is happening here?” he demands, looking between Ashton and Brendon. The crowd that had formed around them has begun to disappear, leaving only Luke, Michael, Calum and the other two standing there.

Feldman looks at Brendon, down at the mask that Ashton had thrown to the floor and he scowls. “You, mister, are coming to the office with me for a little talk.” He turns towards the other four. “You four, get to class before I write all of you up for detention. This town has seen far too much violence lately and I don’t want it occurring on school grounds.”

All four of them nod, gathering themselves and heading down the hallway. Luke makes sure to avoid any and all eye contact with Ashton, despite how much it kills him, but gets stopped by a hand around his wrist. Michael and Calum turn around with him, Michael looking at Ashton with nearly murderous eyes. It was quite evident that Michael thinks Ashton is guilty, while Calum just looked indifferent.

“Are you alright?” Ashton asks him, eyes soft and containing the love that Luke appreciated.

Luke simply nods, holding onto the strap of his backpack. “I’m doing alright, yeah.” He looks back at Michael, who is still glaring, and swallows. “I’m sorry you had to spend an entire weekend being yelled at by the police.”

Ashton shrugs, hands in his pockets. “If it meant proving my innocence and helping whomever is doing this to you get caught, I’d do it all over again.”

Luke’s heart swells at his boyfriend’s words, but at the same time, he’s still unsure of who he can trust. His stalker could be anyone he knows, and he can’t just openly give his trust out anymore. He needs to be more cautious, even if it means avoiding his boyfriend.

The bell rings, and Luke is pulled away by Michael and Calum before he can get another word in. He watches as Ashton mouths a goodbye before heading to his own class, and it hurts Luke’s heart a bit. Every single part of him just wants Ashton to be innocent.  

“I don’t know what the hell Brendon’s problem is,” Calum speaks up once they take their seats, pulling out his notebook and pen. “I mean, Brendon’s always been a little weird, but I don’t know what made him think running around dressed as some psycho was going to accomplish anything other than a week of detention.”

Michael scoffs, leaning back in his desk and tapping his pen against the desk. “Oh well, he’s getting what is coming to him with Feldman.” He looks over at Luke, who is fiddling with his notebook and curling the edges of the paper. “Luke, I promise as long as you are with me and Calum nothing is going to happen, alright? Brendon is just an ass, and Ashton-“

“Can we not talk about him?” Luke asks, and Michael doesn’t miss the watery look in his eyes. “I just, I want to get through my last month of high school without any stress in my life. This stalker, killer, whatever they are now is already causing me enough stress. This thing with Ashton will just cause more.” He wipes at his eyes before turning his attention forward and towards his teacher, ending the conversation.

Michael looks like he wants to say more, but can’t seem the gather the words. He doesn’t like seeing Luke upset, has never been fond of any of his friends being upset. While there was a part of him that wanted to believe that Ashton was the cause behind all of this, he knew that’s not what Luke needed to hear. Luke loves Ashton, has loved him for two years now. Michael knows what love does to someone.

*

Luke decides to spend his lunch in the music room, wanting to avoid the stares and whispers that would come from sitting in the cafeteria. So far his day has consisted of everyone whispering about him around the halls, and not a lot of the words were kind. Luke didn’t expect them to be; after all, he’s the subject of a possible killer. They probably thought that just being around him could get them killed.

Plus, by avoiding the cafeteria he won’t risk running into Ashton again. He knows it’s ridiculous, knows that Ashton is innocent and would never hurt him purposely, but there iss still the possibility that Luke pretty much _was_ a real life Sidney Prescott. After all, wasn’t her boyfriend the killer in the end? Luke wouldn’t know what to do with himself if he found out the love of his life was the one doing all of this.

The door to the music room opens, and Luke looks up from where’s he’s been poking at some of his salad to see Michael and Calum. Both of them have sack lunches in their hands and soft smiles, Michael motioning to one of the seats beside Luke. As the boy gives them a nod, both of them sit down around him and eat their own lunches.

It’s silent, and all they are doing is eating, but Luke feels a bit safer.

“Luke?” Calum says eventually, when they’ve finished their lunches and are just sitting on the floor. Michael has a guitar in his lap, strumming lightly and looking up at Calum through his fringe. “I know all of this is scary for you, and you are not a fan of talking about it, but do you have any idea who it could really be?”

Luke shrugs, taking a deep breath. “That’s the scariest part, Cal, it could be anyone. I don’t think I’ve made any enemies. Even if I did, what on Earth could make them be so angry that they want to kill me?”

Michael opens his mouth to offer some advice when the music room door opens. All three jump to their feet, Michael gripping his guitar tightly as they turn towards the door, only to see Luke’s neighbor, Kellin. It helps Luke release the breath he had been holding, that’s for sure.

“Sorry,” Kellin says, placing his bag down near the piano. “I didn’t think anyone was in here. I was going to come in and play around on the guitar, sorry if I interrupted something.”

Luke shakes his head, dismissing the boy. “It’s alright, we were just eating lunch and screwing around is all.” He offers a friendly smile, one that Kellin returns. Luke has always liked Kellin, thought of him as one of his good friends outside of his inner circle that was Michael, Calum, and Ashton. Sure, Luke has plenty of other friends aside from those three, but Kellin is probably the one he’s closest with.

“I was wondering,” Kellin says, sitting cross legged beside them and playing with the bracelet around his wrist. “I saw Ashton sitting alone in the cafeteria. He looked pretty upset, and I was going to sit with him but I’m not quite sure if he’s fond of me.”

Michael raises an eyebrow at this. “Why wouldn’t Ashton like you? Ashton likes everyone.”

Kellin shrugs. “I’m not too sure, just every time I wave at him or try speaking with him he just… glares. At first I was thinking he saw me as a threat towards Luke, with how close we are, but maybe I’ve done something to anger him.”

Luke finds the conversation intriguing now, leaning forward in his seat to get closer to Kellin. “What could you have done to anger him do you think?”

Kellin opens his mouth to speak, only for him to be interrupted by the sound of the music room door being opened once more, and the lock being slid into place. All four of the boys turn towards the sound, Calum letting out a shriek at the sight of person dressed up just like how Brendon was that morning, ghost mask and all.

Except this person is holding up a knife.

A knife _covered in blood._

With his heart in his throat, Luke steps backwards, hands on the door to the drum room. From the countless times he’s been in there with Ashton, making out or watching his boyfriend play, he knows there is a lock on the inside and that the room is pretty much safe. Unless the stalker, the _killer,_ is incredibly strong, there wasn’t a chance they could get in.

The minute the door opens, the killer begins to sprint.

“Get in!” Luke yells, tugging on his friends and shoving them in through the door. He thinks they are all through, but right as he’s about to shut the door he sees Calum on the ground, fighting off the killer. It seems like Calum might have the upper hand, but it’s obvious that’s he’s beginning to lose strength against the killer.

“Let go of him!” Michael yells, sprinting out of the closet despite Luke and Kellin’s pleas. Michael throws himself at the killer, knocking him off of Calum and pinning the killer down. “Calum, get in the drum room and call 911! I’ll hold them off!”

Calum is shaking his head, frozen still in his spot as Michael tries to hold whomever this killer is down. Luke can see his hands shaking and the fear in his eyes, and he knows that Calum is frozen in fear. Luke’s quick to pull his phone out of his pocket, the screen lighting up the previously dark room as he dials 911 himself.

“L-Luke,” Kellin chokes out, and Luke turns to see that Kellin has the flashlight on his phone on, pointing it towards the drum kit. Luke screams at the sight before him, dropping his phone onto the floor as he stares in horror at what is laid out before him.

It’s Principal Feldman, eyes wide open in fear and body slumped against the drum kit. There are multiple slash wounds across his back and it looks like his throat had been slashed, the blood dripping down one of the cymbals. Beside him lies Brendon, whose mouth looks like it’s been slashed from side to side, creating a sickening smile.

Above them, written in red, is the phrase, “ _Joke’s on you!”_

Luke’s mind is racing, trying to stomach the scene in front of him. This psycho wasn’t just trying to get to him now, they were going to kill just about anyone. With his hands shaking, Luke reaches for his phone once more and presses ‘call’.

“This is Detective Frangipane.”

“Help!” Luke wails into the phone, turning back towards where Michael still wrestles with the killer. Calum’s fists are clenched now, and Luke is scared that’s he’s going to lunge at them any minute now. “He’s here at the school, he’s keeping us hostage in the music room, _please help!”_

He doesn’t hear what else Frangipane has to say, because suddenly the killer is lunging at him and shoving him to the ground. Luke screams, kicking at them and trying to get away. Their blood from the knife drips down onto his cheek and Luke resists the urge to vomit at the feel of someone else’s blood trickling down his cheek.

With his last burst of energy, Luke kicks his attacker in the stomach, forcing them backwards. He scrambles up from the ground and screams at Calum, turning to where he had been previously standing and stares at his friend in horror.

Calum’s holding Michael, whose hands are coated red and holding his stomach.

Kellin moves past Luke, stopping by Calum and helping him lift Michael up and bring him towards the drum room. Despite the macabre scene displayed on the drum kit, Luke isn’t quite sure where else he could go. This is the only safe place he can think of where they can avoid the killer, despite the dead bodies around them giving Luke a fright.

Everyone gathers around Michael, whose shirt is now covered in red, as well as his hands. He’s in pain, Luke can tell from the expression on his face, and it kills him to think that this psycho tried to kill his best friend. The entire situation is getting out of hand now, and Luke isn’t sure what he could do to stop it anymore.

“Why did you do that Michael?” Calum demands, tears spilling down his cheeks as he removes his jacket and places it on Michael’s stomach, applying pressure. “I was going to be fine, I had the upper hand!”

“I-I couldn’t risk it,” Michael chokes out, hissing at the pressure being applied to his wound. “If that psycho killed you, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.” His hand comes up to Calum’s cheek, holding it in his hand as he chuckles softly and says, “I love you too much.”

Calum leans into his best friend’s touch, a small smile on his face as he stares down at Michael with sad eyes. “I love you too Michael. God you have no idea how much I love you.” It’s anticipated when Michael uses what’s left of his strength to bring Calum’s face down to his, their lips pressing together in a long awaited kiss. Luke smiles at his friends, and when he looks over at Kellin he has the same expression.

When they finally pull away, Calum says, “This would be more romantic if you weren’t bleeding out and there weren’t two dead bodies in here with us.”

Michael nods in agreement before the four of them shuffle away from the bodies, Kellin trying not to gag at the smell of rotting flesh and Luke trying not to look over at what used to be his principal and classmate. It’s too much to stomach at the moment.

Luke isn’t sure how long they sat in that drum room until Frangipane found them, having unlocked the door from the outside. Luke has jumped to his feet the moment the door has opened. He had held up a drum stick for protection, but when he saw that it was Frangipane he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

An ambulance takes Michael away, saying something about Michael having to get stiches, and despite the EMT telling Calum countless times that he could not ride with them, they officially clear him to ride with them to the hospital. Luke watches as the ambulance doors close behind them, and it makes him smile a bit to see that Calum is holding Michael’s hand in there. They need each other right now, and Luke is grateful they do.

When Luke turns back towards the school, the first person he locks eyes with is Ashton. While everything is muddled in his mind, and his trust in people has been messed up, it still doesn’t stop his feet from running and it doesn’t stop his arms from wrapping around Ashton tightly. He can feel Ashton’s fingers running through his hair soothingly, allowing Luke to hold Ashton as tightly as he can.

“Michael,” Luke cries into Ashton’s neck. “The killer, he hurt Michael, and before he was trying to hurt Calum-“

“I know,” Ashton whispers, kissing Luke’s temple. “Frangipane discussed what happened with me. She knew I would want to know.” He allows Luke to wipe his tears on his shirt before Luke pulls away, arms still wrapped around Ashton as their foreheads rest together.

“I missed you,” Luke whispers, sniffling. “I’m sorry about not trusting you, I just, and I don’t know who to trust anymore Ash. That terrifies me.”

Ashton hums, holding Luke’s face in his hands at staring into his eyes. Luke has always been weak for the beautiful hazel in Ashton’s, and he instantly feels relaxed just looking into them. “Hey, I understand alright? This is scary, but I can promise you that I am going to be right here with you to protect you, always.”

Someone taps Luke’s shoulder, and he turns around to see Frangipane standing there with the killer’s knife in a bag. “Looks like the psycho managed to get away, but they dropped their weapon. We’ll have it analyzed for DNA and the school is on lockdown while we look for evidence.” She places a hand on Luke’s shoulder, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “Ashton was in class the entire time, so while he’s no longer a suspect in my eyes, Cauchi might still treat him as such.”

Luke feels his heart soar at the thought of his boyfriend’s innocence, but the bodies in the drum room still haunt him. “Have they taken the bodies?” He asks, swallowing down the rising vomit in his throat.

Frangipane nods, looking over his shoulder towards another vehicle. “A coroner has taken the bodies. I’m sorry you had to see that Luke. I promise you that we’ll get justice for their deaths, and justice for you.”

Thanking Frangipane, Luke turns back towards Ashton and cupps his face, kissing him deeply. He knows it’s still risky, placing his trust back in someone that could so easily be lost again, but there’s something in him telling him that he can trust Ashton fully this time, that’s it not him causing this.

He just hopes he’s not wrong.

“I wish I could have protected you,” Ashton tells him, their noses brushing. “I should have been in there protecting you.”

“You are here now,” Luke tells him, kissing his nose. “Besides, if someone hurt you I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”

Ashton’s hand slides into his, gently squeezing as they begin to walk towards Ashton’s car. It’s a silent drive to the hospital, but for Luke, the silence is more than welcome. His mind keeps begging the question of what could happen next, when the _killer_ is going to strike next.

With his grip tightening on Ashton’s hand, Luke knows that whatever happens next, he’s going to need people standing beside him. He doesn’t care what the killer plans on doing next, because this time, Luke is going to fight back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come find me on tumblr at ghostlyashtons


	5. Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story so much, it means the world! Also there is another character death in this chapter for those of you who are still uncomfortable with that. Be safe and enjoy :)

Another week has passed, and it is almost as if all of Luke’s town is in a panic. After the reports of what happened at the school had aired on the news, there had been an obvious change in the air. Luke no longer hears the cheerful screams of children playing outside in the mornings, nor does he hear the endless chatter in the school hallways. Instead, mothers keep their children locked inside in fear while the students at school just _stare._

For two weeks now, all eyes have been on Luke Hemmings, or as his fellow students have so nicely nicknamed him, ‘Psycho Magnet’. No matter where he goes in the school, whispers follow, his nickname hissed at him as students moved away, almost in fear that the psycho will come out of nowhere just because Luke is around. To make matters worse, Luke’s parents are still in Adelaide, leaving him to continue living at Michael’s house.

Michael’s wound, luckily, wasn’t too severe. The killer had managed to miss any major organs when they stabbed Michael, leaving the boy to walk away with what he deemed ‘a wicked ass scar’. He’d refused to let Luke take the blame for what happened either, simply dismissing the boy and saying that it was the right thing to do.

“Besides,” he had said the night after leaving the hospital, hands intertwined with Calum’s as he kisses Calum’s nose. “Saving you also meant saving Calum, and in the end I got the boy. I think being a hero fits me well.” Luke just remembers Ashton pretending to vomit and Calum smacking him. It was probably the first time Luke had felt joy since his psycho came into the picture.

Well, aside from now.

He’s at Michael’s house right now, sitting down stairs on the couch Michael has in his man-cave. Well, technically he’s straddling Ashton’s lap on the couch, their lips pressed together heatedly as they make out. Michael and Calum are beside them, shoving each other while playing some video game that Luke can’t be bothered to remember the name of right now. With Ashton’s tongue tasting every inch of his mouth, his mind isn’t exactly on Earth. It’s the distraction he’s needed.

“So I’ve been thinking,” Calum says suddenly, setting his controller down onto the carpet. Ashton huffs when Luke pulls away, making Luke peck his lips sweetly before turning towards his friend. “With all the crazy shit going on in this town recently, I wanted to throw a small party at my place. Us four, maybe some of our other friends? Invite only of course, and if it helps anything we can contact Detective Frangipane and have her keep a look out just in case?” He looks over at Luke as he says that, a small smile on his face. Luke returns the grin, appreciating Calum’s concern.

“Do you think a party is a good idea, Cal?” Ashton asks, wrapping his arms around Luke’s waist. “I mean, yeah I guess we need something to distract us from everything, but I don’t think a party is a way to do that. Plus, we have that curfew set, remember? I doubt Detective Frangipane would allow us to have a party after curfew.”

Michael scoffs, waving his hand. “How about this: we have the party out at my aunt’s vacation house? It’s out of town a ways, has a pool, and is pretty much perfect for parties. We can have Detective Frangipane outside with someone else to keep a lookout, but since the house is technically out of city limits it doesn’t have the curfew set, right?”

“Well, yeah,” Ashton says, arms tightening his grip around Luke. “But I’m more worried about Luke’s safety than anything. Do you think at this party, he’d be safe?”

Luke takes one of Ashton’s hands and kisses it, a sign of his appreciation towards his boyfriend’s concern for his safety. The idea of a party isn’t exactly something he thinks is the best idea, but he has to agree with his friends on that party being a great distraction. So far his final month of high school has been nothing but terror around every corner and fearing for his life. It would be nice to have one night where he could forget about his stalker, forget about the killings, and just have a great time with his friends and boyfriend. Maybe it isn’t too bad of an idea.

“I’m sure if Detective Frangipane is there he’ll be pretty safe,” Calum assures him, patting Luke’s knee. “From what I’ve seen, the woman is a badass. Plus, if it leads to her catching the killer, I doubt she would pass that up. I think her main priority is keeping you safe anyway.” He looks over at Michael before looking back at Ashton, a smile slowly growing on his face. “So?”

Ashton looks at Luke, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek. “Up to you babe, do you think it would be good for you?”

Luke sucks on his lip ring, considering his options in his mind before looking at Calum and nodding. Calum hollers, jumping up from the carpet and tackling Luke into a large hug while Michael laughs, piling himself on top while Ashton squeals about being squished.

This is what his final month of high school should be: spending as many moments with his friends before graduation, smiling and laughing. Who knows if he’ll see Calum and Michael again after graduation, with him and Ashton moving to Melbourne for University? He hopes he will, but the thought of never seeing them again makes the idea of a party even better. One last big thing with his friends before he leaves.

He’d say what could go wrong, but he knows exactly what could go wrong. He just hopes that it doesn’t happen.

*

Michael was right about his aunt’s vacation house being far out of Sydney. It rests in Bondi, a little bit near the North Cliffs. The scenery is breathtaking in Luke’s eyes as they drive towards the house in Michael’s car. With his head rested against the window, he watches as the waves crash into the cliffs, sending their ocean spray everywhere. Luke could smell the ocean from the car, and he’s actually tempted to ask if they could just move the party to a secluded part of the beach just so he could feel the ocean for himself.

The car is jam packed with some of their friends, with Michael up front beating his hands against the steering wheel to a My Chemical Romance song. Calum had called shotgun, but Luke wouldn’t be surprised if Michael forced Calum to sit there just so they could hold hands on the way there. Their relationship was new and adorable; Luke doesn’t blame them.

Ashton sits beside him, their hands intertwined and his head resting against Luke’s shoulder. He had fallen asleep right as they left, complaining about how his sister had kept him up all night and he wants to catch up on his sleep. Luke doesn’t mind, allowing his boyfriend to drool on his shoulder and catch up on his much needed rest. Kellin sits opposite of Ashton, talking animatedly to their friend Geordie. She’s one of Michael’s friends from his drama class, along with Jack, Alex, and Rian, who are in another car with one of Luke’s music friends, Zack.

It’s a nice, small group, and Luke felt at ease. He has finally come to terms that this party really is a great idea, especially since it was away from Sydney and with only his good friends. Detective Frangipane had even agreed to follow them there and keep guard, much to the chagrin of her fellow partner, Cauchi.

Cauchi seems to still suspect Ashton, despite the charges being dropped with no evidence of Ashton doing any of this. Luke thinks Cauchi is just being cautious, trying to keep an eye on everyone Luke is close to just in case one of them show any signs of trying to hurt him. Luke appreciates it, he does, but no matter what Cauchi does or says, Luke knows in his heart that his boyfriend is innocent.

His thoughts are interrupted by something Geordie is saying, and while he’s trying to pretend to be asleep, it’s hard to block out everyone around him.

“I bet Jack and Alex turned around at the last stop,” Geordie says to Kellin, picking at something on her shorts. “After all, we are attending the party of the Psycho Magnet. One of us is bound to be killed at this thing, don’t you think?”

Kellin rolls his eyes, shoving Geordie’s shoulder playfully. “Stop, Luke isn’t a Psycho Magnet, alright? Besides, Detective Frangipane is following us to make sure nothing bad happens. I’m sure everything is going to be alright.”

Luke makes a mental note to thank Kellin later. His neighbor has been quite the friend lately, something that Luke definitely needs at the moment. He needs a support system, people to help him fight back against this psycho. Sure, Luke doesn’t want a single one of them getting hurt, but it’s nice to have people so quick to defend him.

Luckily, they get to Michael’s aunt’s house soon after that, everyone piling out of the car and grabbing their things before heading towards the large vacation home. It’s gorgeous, Victorian style, and it’s so secluded that Luke feels safer already. No one will find them out here, it’s pretty much perfect.

“Ash,” Luke whispers to his boyfriend, trying to wake him up. “Babe, we’re here you need to wake up.”

Ashton groans, rubbing his eyes before looking up at Luke and sighing. “But you’re comfortable.” He pouts, and Luke can’t resist the temptation to kiss his boyfriend’s lips, just to get rid of that pout. Ashton grins after that, getting up and taking Luke’s hand before they head towards the house.

The inside is even bigger than the outside it seems, with a circular staircase leading to the upstairs bedrooms. The kitchen takes up a good part of the main floor, as well as the large movie room that you first see when you step inside. Luke loves it already.

Jack and Alex show up a while later, more friends in tow and that’s when the party really begins. Luke watches as his friends all guzzle down bottles of beer and chatter endlessly around the kitchen, some of them already outside by the pool and splashing each other around. Luke can see Michael and Calum making out near the shallow side, while Geordie and Rian are playing chicken against Zack and Oliver, one of Calum’s soccer buddies.

While Luke has decided not to drink tonight, it was quite obvious that no one else has done the same. He can see his friends drunkenly swaying around the pool, some of them laughing when Jack throws up in the bushes nearby. It’s nearing later hours, Michael having switched on the lights to the porch so they can still hang out outside. It’s nice, peaceful, and with the sounds of the ocean in the background, calm.

“Not drinking?” he hears someone ask him, and he turns to see Kellin standing there, holding a bottle of root beer. “Don’t blame you, last time I drank I had the biggest hangover in the world and decided that I would never drink again for as long as I lived.” He takes a long drink of his root beer before tossing the bottle into the garbage. “Then again, I might forget that pact when I’m older.”

Luke laughs, tossing his own bottle of root beer in the garbage as well. “I remember the last time you drank! It was freshman year, and you got so wasted at one of Rian’s parties that I had to walk you back to our houses. You threw up about three times just on Rian’s _block._ ”

Kellin holds his hands up in defense, laughing. “Hey, not my fault I’m a lightweight who can’t hold his alcohol!” He smiles, jutting a thumb out towards the living room. “Can we talk in the living room? I want to answer a question you asked me before that I wasn’t quite sure how to answer.”

Luke raises an eyebrow, but agrees nonetheless. He follows Kellin out towards the couch in the living room, taking a seat beside his neighbor as the boy looks down at his hands and gathers his thoughts. Luke’s not entirely sure what Kellin was meaning when he said he was answering one of Luke’s questions, but he’s quite intrigued now. After all, Kellin made it seem pretty important.

“It’s about Ashton,” Kellin says, and now Luke’s heart stops. “You know how I said I feel intimidated by him? How every time I look at him when I’m with you he’s glaring? It’s almost as if he doesn’t want anyone else near you, me especially.” He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. “I think it’s because of freshman year. I used to have an embarrassingly big crush on you, and while I eventually got over that I think he still sees me as a possible threat? I mean, he’s nice to everyone but me, does that make sense?”

Luke wishes he had an answer. He can’t pretend that he doesn’t notice how cold Ashton is around his neighbor, but he had figured it was because something happened between the two of them. After all, they did used to be friends, back before Ashton and Luke started dating.

He wants to say something to Kellin, but the words are stuck in his throat as he watches a figure appear behind Kellin. His eyes go wide as he recognizes the ghost mask and the black cloak, but he can’t yell out anything before Kellin makes the most awful noise, falling forward and staining the couch with red blood. Luke screams, darting off of the couch and begins heading towards the pool, where everyone is still laughing and chattering.

“Help!” Luke screams, smacking his hands against the sliding glass door. “The killer is here! Get out of here!”

_No one can hear him._

Heart racing, Luke turns back to face the killer, who holds their knife up high and charges. Luke is quick to get out of the way, ducking the attack and heading towards one of the closets to lock himself in. He can call Frangipane from there, beg her for help. He reaches one of the closets when the killer grabs the hood of Luke’s pullover, yanking him backwards and holding him against them. Luke can feel the cool metal of the knife pressed against his throat and he wants to scream, scream for Ashton to come save him, scream for Frangipane to arrest this psycho, but he knows neither of them would hear.

“Drop the knife!” he suddenly hears someone yell, and he opens his eyes to see Frangipane standing there, gun poised. “Back away from the boy and drop the knife now!”

Luke expects the killer to slash his throat, avoiding capture and finishing the deed, but instead the killer shoves him forward and darts outside. Luke doesn’t know where they are headed, doesn’t know who exactly tipped them off about the party out here, but he does know that he’s fucking grateful that Frangipane showed up.

“Are you alright Luke?” she asks, touching his cheek gently. Luke nods, though his heart is still pounding and there are tears in his eyes. “Alright, I’m gonna call in some guys to come check out the perimeter, talk to some of the people here and get some alibis. How about you go take a seat outside? Cauchi can keep you company while I look around.”

Luke nods, shaking as he follows Frangipane out towards the living room, where Kellin’s body still lies on the couch. Luke stiffens at the sight, tears coming out rapidly now and Frangipane holds him closer to her as they head towards the front door, while partygoers head inside and gasp at the scene.

“I told you he was a Psycho Magnet!” someone yells, probably Geordie, and Luke clenches his eyes shut as he watches his friends gather up their things and head outside towards their cars. Maybe Geordie was right, he _was_ a Psycho Magnet.

Frangipane lets him sit outside while an ambulance takes Kellin’s body away, the boy shaking underneath the blanket an EMT provided for him. Frangipane’s backups are currently searching everywhere for the killer, the Detective promising him if they got any leads she would tell Luke first. He’s still shaking from his close encounter with the killer, and it doesn’t help that he has no idea where his friends are.

A hand touches his shoulder, and when he turns he sees Ashton standing there, hair dripping wet from the pool and looking completely worried. Before Luke can even open his mouth Ashton is sitting beside him on the steps and peppering kisses all over his face, slow and gentle.

“I knew this party was a bad idea,” Ashton whispers against Luke’s cheek as he places a kiss there, moving closer to his boyfriend’s lips. “That psycho could have killed you baby, and I wasn’t there to protect you. I-I promised I’d protect you.”

Luke doesn’t care what Ashton promised. Right now he just wants his boyfriend to comfort him and hold him. So he snuggles into Ashton’s embrace, sobbing into his chest as the police sirens around him are drowned out, and all that fills his head is _Ashton._

“Kellin,” Luke sobs. “He was killed, was killed right in front of me. I couldn’t do anything except stare as the killer fucking murdered him.” Ashton’s arms tighten around him and Luke’s throat feels like it’s closing up. “I can’t keep getting people killed Ashton, I can’t do it.”

“It’s not your fault,” Ashton promises him, hands moving through Luke’s hair. “None of this is your fault, alright? This is just some sick, twisted freak messing with your head. This is their fault, alright? You are not to blame for anyone who has died.” He cups Luke’s face, kissing his forehead. “How about you get some rest, alright? I’ll carry you up to bed.”

Luke nods, getting up from the steps. He looks towards Frangipane, who holds up a finger to silence one of the officers before walking towards him. “I think it’s best if you and your friends stay together for tonight, alright? Butler, Cauchi and I are going to camp out here and keep an eye on things, make sure nothing out of the ordinary happens, alright? Get some rest Luke, I promise we are going to capture this freak.”

Luke hopes so.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yell, scream, talk to me on tumblr at ghostlyashtons


	6. Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for the response on this fic guys, it truly means everything to me to know you are all enjoying it. I hope you like this chapter! And enjoy, because the final few chapters are gonna be INTENSE.

Since the appearance of the killer ruined the party vibe, everyone decides it’s time to get some rest. Frangipane’s backup officers surround the house, blocking off the pool and any entrance available, and Luke can hear some of his friends grumbling about how Luke had killed what had been a great party. Most of them had already asked Michael where the guest rooms were and had stumbled off to bed, leaving Luke outside with Frangipane and Ashton.

“Get some sleep kid,” Frangipane tells him, shutting off her flashlight and pushing Luke towards the house. “I promise if we find the person or if something comes up I’ll wake you up, alright? For right now I want you to get some rest.” She turns towards Ashton, offering a kind smile. “Make sure he gets some sleep, could you? He needs it.”

Ashton nods, wrapping an arm around Luke’s shoulders and leading him back into the house. Some of the officers are still in the living room, observing the crime scene in the living room and Luke nearly vomits at the sight of Kellin’s blood all over the couch. The scene plays in his head over and over again on a loop and Luke’s pretty sure it will make an appearance in his dreams. Leaning into Ashton’s embrace more, he follows his boyfriend up the stairs towards the bedrooms, entering the only one with an open door and sitting down on the bed.

“I just want it all to stop,” Luke whispers as Ashton shuts the bedroom door. “People close to me keep getting hurt, innocent people could get hurt. I don’t know what I did to earn myself a stalker but I just want it all to _stop.”_

Ashton’s quick to take a seat beside Luke, taking his hand and squeezing it. His free hand cups Luke’s neck as Ashton leans in close, resting their foreheads together and breathing in each other. It’s a relaxing moment, a rarity as of lately, and Luke is scared to have it end.

“It’s going to end,” Ashton promises him. “They are going to find whomever is doing this and they are going to lock them away, far from you. Frangipane looks hellbent on catching whomever is doing this and so am I. I promise that for right now, in this room with me, you are completely safe from anything that could hurt you.”

Luke smiles at his boyfriend’s words, nuzzling the boy’s neck. He’s always felt safe around Ashton, has always found Ashton to be his safe place away from home. Ashton is the one who’s always been there for him no matter what, the one who would fight tooth and nail to protect him. Luke doesn’t know how he managed to get lucky enough to have someone like Ashton in his life.

Something pops into his head then, something that could definitely help take his mind off of things and remind Ashton how much Luke loves him. Turning his head, Luke begins to pepper a trail of kisses up his boyfriend’s neck, nipping slightly at the skin. He hears Ashton gasp sharply at the motion, and Luke grins against the boy’s jaw before kissing across his cheek until he hovers just above Ashton’s lips.

The room feels warm, Luke’s heart is pounding furiously, but he’s completely confident when he says, “I’m ready.”

He doesn’t expect it when Ashton pulls away, hands on Luke’s shoulders as he swallows deeply. He looks nervous, something Luke doesn’t see on his boyfriend all that often. Ashton is the picture of confidence, why is he so nervous about this? “Luke, I don’t want your first time to be because you need a distraction. I want it to mean something.”

“It does mean something,” Luke defends, hand cupping Ashton’s cheek. “I want to have sex with you because I’m ready, because as of lately I don’t know what is going to happen next. If something were to happen to the two of us in the next twenty four hours, I would want you to know that I love you more than the entire world. I just want to show you how much love I have for you.” He captures Ashton’s lips before the boy could further argue, whispering, “I trust you.”

Those words seem to ignite something in his boyfriend, because pretty soon Ashton is lying him down on his back gently, fingers fumbling with Luke’s jeans.

“Allow me,” Luke suggests, moving Ashton’s hands and sliding his legs out of the skinny jeans before tossing them across the room. His arms wrap around Ashton’s neck as he pulls his boyfriend’s face back down to his, kissing him roughly. His heart is going a mile a minute as Ashton’s hands begin to roam his body, sneaking underneath his shirt and caressing his skin. Luke feels like he’s on a livewire underneath Ashton’s touch, and he doesn’t want this feeling to end.

When Ashton pulls away, Luke takes the chance to remove his shirt, tossing it with the skinny jeans before reaching for Ashton’s swimming trunks. His fingers are shaking in anticipation, and before he knows it they are both naked, bodies molding together like perfect pieces, and Luke swears that at this moment, he’s never loved Ashton more.

*

The morning sun is beginning to peek through the curtains in the guest room when Luke wakes up. It’s blinding, piercing Luke’s eyes and making him turn and nuzzle his face into Ashton’s warm chest. It’s then that the memory of the night before begins to play in his head and he can’t resist the smile that graces his features. Last night he finally gave himself to his boyfriend fully, and he didn’t regret it for one moment.

It had been awkward, with Luke unsure of what to do and Ashton trying to help him out, but in the end it was nothing less than perfect. Luke shared something special with someone he loves more than anything in the world, and he hopes that what happened that night was just as wonderful to Ashton as it was to him.

Ashton stirs from underneath him then, opening his tired eyes and staring down at Luke with so much love his heart soars. “Morning.” Ashton whispers, one of his hands tracing patterns up and down Luke’s spine. It leaves Luke tingling, but he can’t help but love the feeling of Ashton’s touch. It’s one thing he’s never been able to resist.

“Morning,” Luke responds, hand resting on the small of Ashton’s back. “Thank you, for last night.” He sounds pathetic, thanking his boyfriend for having sex with him, but he doesn’t know exactly what else to say in that moment. He blushes right as the words have come out of his mouth and he doesn’t miss the way Ashton tiredly smiles at him before kissing his forehead.

“It was pretty special, wasn’t it?” Ashton says, hand resting against Luke’s hip now. “How do you feel?”

Luke’s not quite sure what he feels exactly. It was hard to pinpoint an exact motion that he felt after what they shared the night before. He guesses that love is one of the main things bursting through him right now, but there’s also a mix of confidence, curiosity, and something else that Luke could only pinpoint as complete and utter happiness.

“The luckiest man in the world,” Luke replies, though he knows just how cheesy that sounds right after it comes out of his mouth. He blushes furiously after that, burying his face further into Ashton’s chest as the two of them laugh. Ashton places a finger underneath his chin, lifting him back up and smiling at him as Luke says, “I want to do that again sometime.”

Ashton grins, bringing Luke’s face closer and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. Luke will never get over just how wonderful it feels to kiss Ashton, how gentle the boy was and caring towards him. Luke really is the luckiest man in the world, and while he wishes he could lie there all morning with his boyfriend, sharing sleepy kisses, his phone vibrates on the nightstand, interrupting everything.

“Want me to check it?” Ashton asks him, seeing how Luke’s eyes fill with fear at the thought of the stalker texting him again. Luke nods, adjusting so Ashton can reach over him to grab the phone and slides it open, reading the text message out loud.

“It’s from Frangipane,” Ashton assures him, and Luke feels like he can finally breathe. “She says that we are free to go whenever we are ready, she’ll follow us back to Michael’s house to make sure everything is alright.” He hands Luke back his phone and kisses him once more. “Ready?”

Luke huffs, turning them so he’s on top of Ashton and smirks. “In a minute,” he says before leaning down and kissing Ashton harder, and he can’t help but smirk against Ashton’s lips when the boy wraps his arms around Luke’s waist and pulls their bodies together once more.

*

Frangipane decided it was best if Luke and Ashton rode in the back of her patrol car, not wanting to risk something happening to them otherwise. After Luke and Ashton had gotten dressed and came down stairs, Frangipane had informed them that their friends had all left early that morning, with Michael and Calum leaving just an hour before.

“I had already told them I felt more comfortable if you two rode with me,” Frangipane explains as they drive down the highway, heading back towards Sydney. “After the events of last night I don’t want to take any chances on Luke’s safety, nor yours, Ashton. Whoever this is, they really want people around Luke dead. I already have Cauchi with Michael and Calum, making sure they are safe, and then we’ll meet up at Michael’s house when we get into Sydney, alright?”

“Thank you,” Ashton tells her. “For caring about this case, for everything really.”

Frangipane shoots them a kind smile from the driver’s seat. “Of course. It’s my job to protect people. Besides, I have a brother about your age, Luke. You remind me of him in a way, and if anything were to happen to him I wouldn’t stop until whoever hurt him was caught. I guess my protectiveness over him rubbed off on you.”

Luke smiles warmly at her. “I appreciate that.”

Ashton kisses his temple then, Luke leaning into the touch and looking out the window as they pass into Sydney. He feels different than he had the night before at the party, and he knows it isn’t because he and Ashton slept together. He feels like he’s stronger, emotionally and physically. He feels like he could take on the killer now, show them that no matter what tricks they pull or people they hurt, Luke isn’t going to back down. He’s going to fight back with every bit of courage in him, and he wouldn’t stop until whoever was behind that mask paid for what they had done.

They eventually pull up to Michael’s house, Frangipane parking behind Cauchi’s cruiser and killing the engine. She turns to face the boys, giving Luke a small smile. “Alright kiddo, we’re here. Cauchi is already inside with your friends, and I’ll keep my phone on me just in case you need to reach me, alright?” She exits the vehicle, walking towards the door and opening it up for Luke and Ashton to slide out of the backseat. “I’ll walk you in. Cauchi is going to stay here with you guys just in case something goes wrong, alright? Like I said, I’m on backup in case you need me.”

Luke nods, sliding his hand into Ashton’s as they approach the house. It’s then that Frangipane stops walking, her eyes widened in horror as she stares at Michael’s front porch. Luke nearly slams into her back, not noticing that she’s stopped walking and peeks around her to see what’s wrong, only for him to nearly scream in horror.

On the front porch is Cauchi, throat slit wide open as he stares back at them with lifeless eyes. There’s a large puddle of blood dripping down the porch steps, and without another thought Frangipane pulls her gun out from her holster, approaching the house slowly.

“I need you boys to call 911 right now,” Frangipane instructs, taking a step onto the porch. “Go into the cruiser, grab the police radio, and inform them that—“

Luke wishes she had finished her sentence. Instead he’s forced to watch terror as the killer stabs her in the stomach, causing her to collapse on top of Cauchi’s body. The killer doesn’t even bother with her anymore, stepping over her to approach Luke slowly.

Tightening his grip on Ashton’s hand, Luke decides they only have one option.

 Run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cliffhanger :) come talk to me at ghostlyashtons on tumblr!!


	7. Reveal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be honest about this: this was, by far, my favorite chapter to write. I love everything about it, and I hope you guys do too. 
> 
> Also, I'm not one hundred percent positive what emergency services in Australia are like, I went off of what I found on Google. I apologize if it is not correct!!

Luke’s heart is in his throat as his grip on Ashton’s hand tightens, his boyfriend leading him towards what they could only hope was safety. Luke can hear the killer right behind them, loud footsteps thundering against the ground as they try to keep up. It’s all of Luke’s nightmares coming true, the killer at their heels, knife raised high, and what could possibly be the very end.

Luke looks around at his surroundings, Michael’s backyard mostly vacant aside from the large patio and garden area. There’s a gardening shed off towards the back fence, secluded by various shrubbery that has Luke tugging Ashton’s hand towards.

“He’ll see us go in there!” Ashton tells him, and Luke is quite aware of that. He can see a shovel towards the fence, and without another thought he rips his hand out of Ashton’s and sprints towards it. His hands are sweaty from fear and nervousness, but his grip on the shovel is tight as he swings the gardening tool at the killer, knocking them to the ground.

“Go!” he shouts at Ashton, taking the boy’s hand once more and quickly entering the gardening shed before the killer can get back up. He reaches for some more tools, both of them barricading the door from any entry as their hearts pound furiously in their chests. Luke clutches the shovel in his grasp while Ashton takes a hold of the rake. Luke felt more at ease, being armed, but it still didn’t shake the feeling of complete terror running through his veins.

“Ash,” he whispers, turning to look at his boyfriend. “Do you have your cellphone with you?”

His boyfriend nods, slowly reaching into his pocket for his phone. “I’ll dial 000,” he says, thumb hovering over the screen. He’s about to dial when something slams into the door of the gardening shed, making both of them jump. Ashton nearly drops his phone when he jumps, but keep a steady hold on the device.

Another slam into the door, and Luke prepares himself for a fight. The shovel is becoming slick in his sweaty hands, his heart returning to his throat as he tries to keep his breathing steady. This could be it, the final showdown between him and whoever this psychotic person was.

Ashton has just pressed call when the door bursts open, and the killer stands there with their knife ready.

_You have called Triple Zero, do you need the Police, Fire Department, or Ambulance?_

Luke looks from the killer to Ashton, who has raised his cell phone up to his ear with a ragged breath. “Police, Queen Avenue _._ ” Ashton shakes as he speaks to the operator, eyes watching as the killer saunters towards them slowly, as if planning how to murder them. It scares Luke more than when the killer was moving at full speed, not liking the feeling of being analyzed.

It’s when the killer does decide to launch forward that Ashton drops the phone onto the ground and slams the rake against them. The killer falls into more supplies, and Luke keeps his grip on the shovel as he and Ashton shove their way out of the shed once more.

“Police cruiser!” Ashton shouts, both of them darting towards the abandoned vehicle and practically ripping open the driver side door. “We can contact the station from the vehicle, like Frangipane told us too.” He fiddles with the radio, shaking hands messing with the controls while Luke keeps a watchful eye on the backyard entrance, waiting for the killer to make another appearance.

“This is Ashton Irwin!” he hears Ashton shout into the radio, and Luke hates the sound of fear that makes his boyfriend’s voice quiver. “I’m here at Karen and Daryl Clifford’s resident on Queen Avenue and the killer is after Luke Hemmings and I. Frangipane and Cauchi are dead we need help!”

Luke screams as the killer appears at the entrance of the backyard gate, and he nudges Ashton. “He’s back!” he yells, preparing himself to swing at the killer once they reach him. Ashton moves from the vehicle, dropping the radio and shoving Luke away, standing in front of him protectively.

“You want Luke?” Ashton demands, both of them watching as the killer begins to move forward. “You’ll have to get through me to even _touch_ him. Come get me, you fucking coward!”

The killer seems to accept the invitation, picking up their speed while Ashton shoves Luke away and tackles them to the ground, pinning them. “Run to the house!” he instructs, ramming his knee into the killer’s stomach. “Find Michael and Calum, go!”

While Luke isn’t keen on the idea of leaving his boyfriend behind, he nods silently before stepping over Cauchi and Frangipane’s bodies and running into the house. It’s quiet, all of the lights off as he runs up the stairs to look for his friends. He’s just hoping that he finds them alive. There has already been too much bloodshed because of Luke, he doesn’t want the body count to go up any more than it already has.

“Mikey?” he calls softly, peeking into his friend’s bedroom. “Cal? Where are you guys?”

There’s a loud thump against one of the doors then, making Luke jump at the sound. It’s coming from Michael’s closet, and as Luke begins to step towards it the sound becomes louder. Swallowing down the fear, Luke wraps his hand around the door knob and opens the closet door.

He gasps as Michael and Calum fall out together, tied together and mouths bound with gags. Tears stain both of their faces as they look up at Luke in terror, both trying to scream against their gags. Luke kneels down beside them, swiftly taking the gags out of his best friend’s mouths.

“Luke!” Michael cries as his friend attempts to untie them from their bounds. “We know, we know who the killer is and _fuck_ I don’t know how I didn’t guess it sooner.”

It’s then that Luke feels his heart stop. After weeks of being terrorized and in the dark, the identity of his stalker was known. The psychopath that has been making Luke’s life a living hell now has a face, a _name,_ and Michael knows exactly who they are.

“Who is it?” Luke asks in a quiet voice.

“It’s not who is _it,”_ a familiar voice speaks, and all three of them turn towards the doorway as someone comes into view, holding the ghost face mask in their hands. A sick, sinister smirk lies on their features as they step towards them, and it’s then that Luke feels betrayal shock his system. “It’s who are _we.”_

Standing in front of them now, with blood staining her cheek, is Geordie.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Luke says, looking up at Geordie in horror. “What have I ever done to you to deserve any of this? I’ve never done anything to you for you to be ill towards me.”

Geordie snorts, kneeling down towards Luke and cupping his cheek gently. Luke’s frozen in his place, and with Michael and Calum still bound together he knows they cannot help. “Oh sweetie, I truly have no vendetta towards you. While I must admit that I’ve never liked how you pretended to be so generous and kind, I can’t say you’ve done me wrong in any sort of way.” She chuckles as Luke rips his face out of her hands, looking at her with a look of pure rage. “It’s what you have done to my friend that made me join him for his plan for revenge, or, at least his plan to make sure you regret a fateful decision you made two years ago.”

Two years ago. Luke can’t bring himself to remember doing anything that could have caused this two years ago. Hell, two years ago he wasn’t the person he is in the present. He was an awkward thing of a boy, taking all AP courses and keeping his head low while only keeping a close knit group of friends around him. He doesn’t recall doing anything involving anyone unless it involved a study group of some sort.

“Do I need to jog your memory?” Geordie spits, kicking Luke backwards onto the ground. “Fucking think about it, Luke, it’s so incredibly obvious. Use that fucking brain of yours and figure this out!”

Still nothing. Luke’s head is nothing but a muddled mess. Too many thoughts are racing through his head, from the feeling of hurt that one of his friends had done such a thing to wondering how the hell he was going to get out of here without Geordie killing him. Inside his mess of thoughts was also the fear of finding Ashton dead, if he had managed to get away or if the killer finally finished him off.

It’s then that it hits him.

“Ashton,” he whispers, and a single tear finally escapes his eyes and falls down his face. “Two years ago, I started dating Ashton. Is that what you are referring to?”

The sickening grin returns to Geordie’s face at Luke’s words and she ruffles his hair. “Correct! I knew you were smart enough to figure that out. Now, can you think of why this would lead to where you are today? If you do I might just let you go for good behavior.” Luke feels sick to his stomach, how she’s treating this like some game. He wants to puke, scream, and get Michael and Calum out of there to find Ashton and escape. He hates feeling defenseless.

Luke shakes his head, and suddenly there’s a hand grabbing his shirt collar roughly. He tries to squirm out of the grasp, kicking and screaming as Geordie tugs harder on the collar and drags him towards the stairs. Luke twists and turns in her grasp as she forces him to face downstairs, and Luke gasps at the person crumpled at the bottom step.

It’s Ashton.

“No!” Luke screams, but he doesn’t have time to react properly before Geordie shoves him down the stairs. Luke swears he feels a bone break as he tumbles down, landing rather roughly against Ashton when he reaches the bottom. Tears are pouring down his face as he struggles to get up and face Ashton, needing to check for a pulse and make sure he was alive.

It’s then that Luke is kicked backwards into the steps, knocking the air out of him.

“Sorry you had to see such a thing,” a new voice says, this one sounding exactly like the one that had been haunting him over the phone. He looks up to see the same ghost mask Geordie had, but this killer is still brandishing a knife, wiping excess blood off of it with their glove. “It’s tragic, isn’t it? Seeing someone you love taken away by another? It’s god awful that’s for sure. I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone, but then again,” He remove his mask then, and Luke chokes on his sobs. “Love makes people a little _crazy._ ”

Luke stares up at the killer, blue eyes wide in betrayal and stinging with tears. “No,” Luke chokes. “This isn’t possible, you died. I fucking watched you die!” He shakes his head, wondering if he’s imagining this, if he just hit his head hard on his way down the stairs and he’s hallucinating before he passes out. No matter what he does, though, the killer still stands there.

Kellin still stands there.

 He has the audacity to laugh at Luke’s look of betrayal and confusion, touching Luke’s cheek gently. “Yes, well, faking my death wasn’t exactly easy. Had to take out a few people in order to escape the ambulance, and once they discover that I haven’t made my way to the hospital there are going to be people looking for my body.” He kisses Luke’s cheek gently, getting back up and observing Ashton’s body. “All I need to do now is get rid of the _prick_ who took you away from me. You know what comes after that baby?” Luke swallows, inching away when Kellin leans in close enough that his breath hits Luke’s lips. “You and I are going to get out of here, somewhere no one will find us.”

Maybe it’s not wise, given the situation, but Luke is angry, outraged. Staring Kellin right in the eye, he spits at him and kicks the boy in the stomach. Kellin let’s out a groan, tumbling backwards while Luke gets up and places two fingers against Ashton’s neck. His heart nearly soars when he feels a pulse, only for it to stop when two hands yank him off of him. He’s being tossed across the floor, back smacking against the coffee table as Luke groans.

“Don’t you get it Luke?” Kellin laughs, Geordie smiling behind him at the scene. “You can’t fucking do anything for him. Pretty soon he’s going to bleed out completely and when the cops get here?” He lets out a breath, grinning at Geordie. “Well, we already have a story ready for them about what has happened here, don’t we?”

“Why?” Luke asks, shaking. “Why are you doing this to me? To my friends? Are you really that upset that I’m dating Ashton?”

Kellin’s grip on the knife tightens, and Luke swallows the scream rising in his throat when he steps forward and rests the knife against Luke’s cheek. He can feel the blade, warm with blood, and resists the urge to vomit. “I used to watch you two, did you know that? Maybe you didn’t realize, but you always had a terrible habit of leaving your curtains open. I would just be sitting in my room, doing some homework, and when I looked over towards your house I’d see the two of you on your bed, making out. I would watch and die inside because _I_ should be the one kissing you like that, _I_ should be the one marking you up.” A soft chuckle. “I should be the one _fucking you.”_

“You’re disgusting,” Luke whispers, and Kellin gives him a sinister smirk. “What about Geordie, huh? What is her part in this? I doubt she wants to run away with us.”

Kellin nods. “Well, yeah. I wouldn’t want her tagging along on our little getaway either.” It’s then that Luke can only watch in horror as Kellin turns swiftly and slashes Geordie’s throat. The girl chokes, gripping her now bleeding throat and staining her hands red before collapsing to the ground. Luke watches as the life escapes her eyes, and stares at Kellin in horror. “Glad I got that out of the way, working with a partner is just exhausting. She was just a piece in the game anyways, just like your little friends, Michael and Calum? I never intended to hurt them either. All they were here for was bait.” He grabs Luke’s collar with a tight grip. “It’s over, Lukey.”

Luke may be weak, but he refuses to let this psychopath take him away. Sucking in a deep breath, Luke swings his fist as Kellin’s kneecap, knocking the boy to the floor harshly while he howls in pain. He releases his grip on Luke, and the boy is quick to reach for Geordie’s knife and aims it at Kellin. Luke can feel courage racing through him, and he feels strong.

This is the man who killed innocent people. This is the man who has terrorized Luke for weeks on end, making his life nothing but a living hell. No longer is Luke going to put up with it, and now that he knows the true identity of this killer, he’s not backing down.

“You’re right,” Luke says, standing his ground. “It is over. Get up Kellin, let’s end this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, did you guys guess the killer correctly? do you hate me for the cliffhanger? let me know on tumblr at ghostlyashtons :)


	8. Showdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot believe that after this is the final chapter :( I was sad when I finished writing this fic and now I'm going to be sad once it's officially over. I hope all of you have enjoyed the ride so far, and if you have please do not be shy and leave a kudos or comment!! I want to know what you guys think :)

Luke can feel blood drying on his skin, the throbbing in his back from being slammed around. His ankle is swollen, quite possibly broken, and it hurts to apply pressure on it as he stands across the room from his stalker. The knife he has stolen from Geordie is still being held defensively in front of him, but Kellin seems to look at it like it’s some kind of joke.

“You always were really cute, Lukey,” Kellin grins, stepping forward with his own knife resting at his side. “I don’t want to fight you, baby, all right? I just need you to cooperate and we can get away from here. I promise once we are away from this town both of us will be happy, and we won’t have to deal with any of these terrible people keeping us apart.”

“You’re sick,” Luke spits, holding the knife steady and keeping his stance. “What makes you think I’d run away with someone who has tried to kill everyone I care about? You murdered innocent people, you hurt Ashton, and I’m not going to let you walk out of here unless it’s in handcuffs as they take you away to a mental ward.”

The words make Kellin snort as he jumps forward, but Luke is already prepared for his attack. He smacks Kellin’s wrist, the boy dropping the knife to the ground as Luke shoves him away. As Kellin falls towards the floor Luke jumps for Kellin’s weapon, tossing it as far away from them as he can. He keeps a steady hold on his knife, though, leaving his enemy unarmed and himself ready.

“You fucker!” Kellin yells, getting up from the floor. “Lukey, why won’t you cooperate?”

“Stop calling me that!” Luke screams as he lunges towards Kellin, throwing a punch at the boy. His fist collides roughly against Kellin’s jaw, causing the boy to release a scream of agony and his head to snap back. Luke doesn’t care; he deals punch after punch and unleashes the anger that had built up inside of him for weeks now thanks to Kellin.

He only stops when Kellin manages to gather his strength and shove Luke away. He falls back against the now broken coffee table, head smacking against the broken fragments and his vision blurring temporarily. While Luke fights to gain his vision back, Kellin pins him down, hands trailing down Luke’s chest. Luke squirms underneath his touch, his skin crawling as Kellin slips his hand underneath Luke’s shirt. “I always knew you would have soft skin,” Kellin coos, and Luke feels his stomach turn as he manages to wriggle his leg free, kicking Kellin in the stomach.

Moving from underneath him, Luke reaches for Geordie’s knife again before bolting out into the backyard. He knows hiding in the gardening shed would be pointless, with Kellin being able to find him there instantly. Luke almost wishes the Clifford’s backyard had other hiding places, or at least more space for Luke to run and get out of there. Having no other choice, Luke begins to head back towards the gardening shed, hopefully finding something in there that could stop Kellin.

His mind wanders to Ashton, who is still sitting at the bottom of the stairs with a stab wound. He knows he needs to act quickly to throw Kellin off and get Ashton help, and his mind is swarmed with various thoughts of what he could possibly do. He has no idea where his phone has gone, and he couldn’t risk running out to the cruiser and demanding the police come help without tipping Kellin off and possibly getting himself killed.

He closes the door to the gardening shed softly behind him, and nearly jumps out of his skin when he hears vibrations on the floor. He turns his head sharply towards the source of the noise and nearly cries with relief when he sees Ashton’s cell phone resting on the ground, the phone indicating he has an incoming call.

It’s Michael.

Sliding his thumb across the screen, he answers the call.

“Mikey?” he asks shakily, just in case this is a trick. It wouldn’t surprise him if Kellin got to his friends and was trying to get to him.

“Luke, it’s me,” Michael’s voice says and Luke lets out a breath. “Fuck, I didn’t think any of you would answer, I thought Kellin or Geordie got to one of you and you were dead-“

“Are you still upstairs?” Luke asks him, keeping his voice low as he hides himself behind some of the tools in the shed. “Is Calum with you, safe?”

“Both of us are alright, yeah,” Michael assures him, his voice shaky and Luke knows his friend is probably on the verge of tears. “Listen, I managed to get a hold of the police, they said they’ve already sent a few cars towards your house to apprehend Kellin and Geordie.”

The door to the shed slams open then, and Luke manages to hang up the phone and prepare himself as he watches Kellin step in. His face is bruised, bloody, and his costume is now torn. Luke can only imagine what he looks like, probably just as worse.

“Baby, I don’t like playing hide and seek,” Kellin chastises, looking around the shed. Luke curls himself further into the corner he’s hiding in, hoping the tools and tarp he’s managed to hide under don’t give him away. “C’mon baby, it’s just me. I won’t hurt you.”

Kellin steps closer towards Luke’s hiding spot, and Luke can see the sickening grin on his face just as he tears back the tarp and reveals Luke. Letting out a yell, Luke surges forward and shoves Kellin away from him before darting back towards the house. He knows Kellin is following him, and all Luke needs to do is keep him distracted until the police got there.

He doesn’t expect it when he hears Kellin let out a yell from behind him, followed by a crash. He turns around, and his eyes widen at the sight before him.

It’s Ashton, who has pinned himself on top of Kellin. He’s got quite a bit of weight on Kellin, pinning him down easily enough, but Luke can tell he’s weak. Ashton’s stab wound is still bleeding, oozing onto his shirt, and his skin is looking quite pale.

“Get the fuck off of me!” Kellin yells, struggling to push Ashton off of him. Ashton’s practically deadweight at this point. While Luke is elated that his boyfriend is alive, he knew that Ashton didn’t have much energy left to fend Kellin off.

“Ash,” Luke begins to cry, because he knows that unless the police got here soon, his boyfriend isn’t going to make it. “We need to get you to a hospital.”

“I know,” Ashton responds weakly, his breathing slow. “I-I don’t think I’ll make it.”

Luke lets out a heartbreaking sob at his boyfriend’s words, though he knows Ashton is probably right. “I love you, Ashton, I love you so much. You can do this, okay? You are going to make it through.” There’s a sudden sound of sirens in the distance, and Luke can hear them coming closer and closer. “Ashton, they’re here! You are going to be-“

His sentence is interrupted by Kellin delivering a blow to Ashton’s wound, making the boy scream. Kellin pushes Ashton off, punching his wound again before he sends a fist into Ashton’s jaw. Luke watches as Ashton begins to fall unconscious, Kellin kicking Ashton’s stomach before turning to face Luke. “I’ve decided,” Kellin says, spitting out the blood that has begun to form in his mouth. “While my love for you is strong, I’m not sure I can get you out of here conscious.” Luke only catches the glint of the knife before Kellin stabs him in the stomach, making him double over and fall to the ground. His stomach burns at the wound, his blood coating his fingers as he presses against it. Kellin takes advantage of Luke’s weak state by looming over him, arms wrapped around Luke’s neck as he smirks. “It’s alright, Lukey, you’re just going to fade out. When you wake up, we’ll be far, far away from here, I promise. I can clean your wound, and then we can be together forever. All mine.”

The air becomes stale in Luke’s lungs as he struggles against Kellin’s grasp. It doesn’t matter how much he wiggles his body underneath the boy’s grasp as his efforts prove fruitless. Luke reaches his fingers out anyhow, and he can feel the rough handle of the knife he had previously dropped when Kellin had stabbed him. Mustering up all energy he has, Luke drives the knife into whatever he can reach, which happened to be Kellin’s arm. Kellin screams, but he doesn’t release his hold as the blood trails down his arm and leaks onto Luke’s face and neck.

“You know,” Kellin hisses, and Luke feels his vision begin to grow spotty. “You stabbed me there the first night too. Luckily that night it wasn’t too deep.” He presses more onto Luke’s throat, his eyes glimmering with anger and glee. “You’re all mine, Lukey, no one else can have you. If I have to endure a few wounds from you to prove my point I’ll gladly take them. You’ve always been mine, Lukey, _always.”_

“Actually,” Luke gasps out, sending the knife right into Kellin’s neck. “I was never _yours.”_ The blood begins to pour from the wound, splattering Kellin and Luke as Kellin’s grip on Luke’s neck loosens, allowing the boy to roll away as Kellin falls to the ground.

Kellin grabs for his neck, blood coating his hands in red as blood continues to gush from the wound and from his mouth. His knees begin to buckle until finally, Kellin fell against the floor dead, his eyes wide open with a diminishing look of betrayal.

Luke’s body feels weak, and his vision begins to blur completely as he looks around. He can hear Michael and Calum rushing down the stairs, calling out his name but he can barely hear him as he completely blacks out.

The last thing he hears is police sirens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come talk to me on tumblr at ghostlyashtons :)


	9. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have reached the end! A massive thank you to every single one of you that have read this, and an even BIGGER thank you to my fantastic beautiful beta, Lia (clingyluke on tumblr). She deserves the biggest round of applause for dealing with my constant grammar, spelling, and other various mistakes. Love you angel baby :)
> 
> Enjoy this last chapter guys, I know I did. Once again, thank you so much for reading this fic. This is for all of you.

All Luke can see is blood. He can see it leaking down the hospital walls as he floats in and out of consciousness, can see it pouring from the doctors’ eyes as they speak with each other about his condition. He can see it on his own hands as he finally slips into a deep sleep, only the dark crimson visible beneath his eyelids.

“Get it off,” he hears himself whisper. “Get it off, please.”

There are more whispers, incoherent words being spoken that he wishes he could decipher. It feels like he’s underwater, everything being muddled in his mind and he wishes he could speak, wishes he could move. He wants to know what is happening in his surroundings. He’s not exactly a fan of this immobile state that’s for sure. He needs to move, he needs to wash away the blood that is coating everything around him, and he needs to find his friends and make sure they are okay…

It’s then the lights around him become brighter, blinding him and burning his corneas until finally, he’s blanketed in nothing but white light. It’s peaceful this way. This might be death, he’s not sure, but whatever it is, there’s was no red in this place. It is calm.

There’s a soft voice in his ear, calling his name, and that’s when the white fully fades away.

Luke can see faces, people surrounding him and the smell of something awful enters his nose and makes him wrinkle it. His vision begins to fix itself until finally, nothing is blurry and Luke can see everyone’s faces clearly. He can see Michael and Calum, both of them looking pretty beat up but otherwise okay. He can see his parents, both of them looking incredibly worried and still wearing their business suits. Luke can only assume they heard the news and got on the first flight back to Sydney.

There is only one person missing.

“Where’s Ashton?” Luke asks groggily, his voice hoarse and his throat dry. He begins to cough, his mother reaching for a paper cup of water to hand to him. As he drinks the cold liquid down Michael clears his throat, a hand resting against Luke’s leg.

“He just got out of the ICU yesterday,” Michael explains to him. “Both of you have been asleep for a few days, Ashton lost a lot more blood than you did. He’s showing progress, though.”

Luke closes his eyes gently, taking deep breaths. “Am I allowed to see him? I-I want to see him.”

Luke’s mother nods, heading towards the door to his room. “We just need to check with the doctor, make sure it’s alright with him. We also need to let him know that you’ve woken up so he can check up on you.” She offers a soft smile. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

Luke nods as his mother leaves, the door closing gently behind her. Luke’s father squeezes his hand softly and Luke can see his eyes are glistening with unshed tears. He can’t imagine the worry his parents experienced, the two of them only hearing about Luke’s condition once they were in a service area. “Dad?” Luke rasps, squeezing his hand back. “I’m okay, I promise.”

“We should have been here,” his father argues, shaking his head as a tear escapes. “After the note, we just left thinking it was just some stupid prank. We didn’t bother to think you were in any real danger and just left you alone for some stupid business trip.” He kisses Luke’s forehead and Luke can feel his father’s hand shaking against his own. “I’m sorry we were not here to help you, Luke.”

“Please don’t,” Luke tells him. “I don’t want you to blame yourselves for what happened. I don’t want you to feel sorry for not being here. If you had been here, it would have just been more collateral damage. I wouldn’t want the two of you getting hurt.”

It helps Luke relax more, to have the people he loves surround him in the hospital. After the horrors he experienced during the past month, it was refreshing to have people surround him with kind words and love. Of course, the person Luke loves most is still missing from the group, but Luke doesn’t mind. Ashton is in his heart; that’s what matters.

His mother arrives with the doctor a while later, and after Luke’s cleared to be moved to a wheelchair and move around, Michael takes him to Ashton. Luke’s heart is racing as they approach Ashton’s room, almost like their first date all over again. Luke’s been panicking for a good part of the day over Ashton being alright, his condition, and now he was going to be able to see for himself.

“Ash?” Calum calls into the room, a smile taking over his features as he steps into the room. “You have a guest.”

Luke can hear the bed move, and then a groan from Ashton. He guesses Ashton is pretty sore from all of the events that happened, and his stitches are probably bothering him greatly. Michael had told him how Ashton had quite the surgery to stitch up his stab wound, as well as control the internal bleeding. It had only made Luke more worried than he was before.

“I was just about to sleep, Cal,” he can hear Ashton whine, and it makes him chuckle as Michael rolls him further into the room. He can see Ashton perched on the bed, his curls resting against the pillow and his skin looking pale. He looks exhausted, despite the many days he was out for. When Ashton locks eyes with his boyfriend, his face breaks out into the widest grin Luke has ever seen.

“Hi baby,” Luke chokes, tears beginning to form in his eyes. He doesn’t know where the sudden rush of emotion came from, but he can’t exactly control it. Seeing Ashton safe, seeing Ashton _alive,_ was enough to break down in tears of relief. “You’re okay.”

Ashton nods, his own tears leaking out of his eyes. “I love you so much Luke, so, so much.” He outstretches his arms, wiggling his fingers towards Luke as if it would bring him closer. Luke laughs when he sees Michael rolls his eyes and pick Luke up from his wheelchair, placing him gently on Ashton’s bed. They keep careful mind of Ashton’s injuries, but Luke can’t help it the minute he sits down to grab Ashton’s face and kiss him deeply.

“I love you too,” Luke whispers in between kisses, both of them smiling too hard to kiss properly anymore. It’s a strange sensation, to smile after the hell Luke’s been through, but he welcomes it greatly. He is happy, his nightmare is finally over. Now all that’s left is to spend the rest of his life with the boy he loves more than anything in the world. “Fuck, I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so worried.”

“I’m glad you are okay,” Ashton tells him, kissing his lips once more. “What about Kellin? What happened with him?”

Luke shudders as the memory of the blood spurting from Kellin’s neck, the life spilling from his eyes as he fell to the ground dead. It would haunt him for the rest of his life that was for sure. “He’s gone. I promise you that he’s never going to come back.”

“Good,” Ashton says as he wraps his arms around Luke, allowing him to lean into him. “I wasn’t exactly a fan of sharing you with your psychotic neighbor.” He kisses Luke’s neck sweetly before intertwining their fingers. It’s nice, peaceful, and if they weren’t currently in a hospital Luke would have declared this his favorite moment. It’s just him and the boy he loves, and his best friends standing beside them with smiles on their faces and their own hands laced together.

And for the first time since this whole mess began, Luke feels safe.

*

_Three Years Later_

Melbourne was something Luke never could have imagined in his life. For three years of high school it had been his dream escape, to run away to there for college and leave Sydney once and for all. For so long it had been nothing but a dream, but now his dream had become a reality.

University life took some adjusting, with his new schedule and trying to keep a steady job alongside it. Luke had managed to earn himself a decent job on campus at the bookstore, and the pay was pretty decent with the work study. It paid for his apartment, which was what he really needed. It also helped with the payments towards his counseling, though his parents had chipped in for that as well.

He was getting better, slowly. He knew he couldn’t erase what had happened to him that last month of high school, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try. The counseling was doing some good, being able to work through the nightmares and fear of trusting people again. Luke could feel himself getting better with every session, and he knew it was obvious.

He’s just returned from another session, yawning as he locks the apartment door behind him and sets his car keys down on the side table by the door. He can hear some clanging in the kitchen and some soft rock playing in the living room, and it makes him grin when he turns the corner to find Ashton stirring something on the stove.

“I’m home,” he says, and he loves the sound of it. Home had always been with Ashton, and the fact that they shared a home now made it so much better. Ashton turns around to smile at him and Luke doesn’t hesitate to kiss him sweetly before looking down at the food. “What are you making babe?”

“Well,” Ashton says, lifting the stirring spoon out of the pot and holding it up for Luke. “I figured since today was the last day of your semester before winter break, you deserved a good meal.” He leads the spoon into Luke’s mouth, who hums around it as the food touches his tongue. A burst of flavor hits his tongue immediately and he nearly moans at how good it tastes. “Well?”

Luke nods, wrapped his arms around Ashton and pecking his mouth once more. “Delicious.” He loves the smile that appears on Ashton’s face as he says that, and he can’t help but kiss him once more before heading back towards their bedroom to change his clothes.

 _Their_ bedroom. Another thing he’ll never get tired of saying.

He quickly changes into some sweatpants and a singlet before heading back out into the kitchen, where Ashton has just dished up their dinner. He takes his plate with another kiss before sitting down at their small kitchen table and beginning to eat. After a long day of school and work, he couldn’t wait to scarf down his boyfriend’s cooking.

The only thing that makes him pause is Ashton looking at him. “Something wrong?” he asks, though his mouth is full of food. He swallows it down quickly, apologizing before asking Ashton again. “Are you alright babe?”

“Of course!” Ashton tells him, reaching for Luke’s hand across the table. “Just, um, can you pass the salt?”

Confused, Luke nods and reaches for the salt shaker, only for his eyes to widen in shock and making him drop it, spilling salt all over the table.

There’s a silver band resting between the salt and pepper shakers, glinting underneath the kitchen light and making Luke drop his jaw. He looks over at Ashton, who is smiling and reaching towards the band and taking it in his own hands, walking around the table towards Luke. Just as Luke is regaining his breath, Ashton drops down onto one knee and holds the ring out.

“I figured you wouldn’t want some huge spectacle, so I’m just going to cut to it: I love you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I hope you want to spend the rest of your life with me. Luke Hemmings, will you marry me?”

Luke’s been through hell and back, still has nightmares at night to remind him of the terrors that will forever haunt him. He’s lost people he’s cared about more than anything, nearly lost his own mind amongst it all. Yet, Ashton stuck with him through all of it. There was never a moment where Ashton didn’t stand by Luke during that time, even when Luke thought Ashton was the one tormenting him.

Ashton was there, would always be there.

“Yes,” Luke whispers, and when the silver band is placed on his finger and Ashton is kissing him with so much love, he finally feels like his life is complete. Sure, there are still going to be moments where the nightmares were too much, but he knew now that as long as Ashton is beside him, he is safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come find me on tumblr at ghostlyashtons


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